Declining Secondary Enrollment in Albania: What Drives Household Decisions?

Abstract

Many post-socialist countries have seen a decline in school enrollments, especially at the secondary level, and declines in average school attainment (Hertz, Meurs and Selcuk, 2009). The declines in enrollment rates may be temporary, but the effects may persist across generations, given the generally high correlation between parent and child educational outcomes.
In this paper, we examine secondary schooling dynamics in Albania, where enrollment declines have occurred. We examine both demand- and supply-side factors which might underlie household-level enrollment decisions. Using Living Standard Measurement Surveys from 2003 and 2003, we fi nd that, as in other countries, parental education is a signifi cant predictor of secondary school enrollment, but we also fi nd that economic and social changes related to transition appear to play a role. Many of our fi ndings are line with other recent work on this topic, although some differ, suggesting that enrollment dynamics may be changing over time.