Understanding Education's Influence on Support for Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Understanding Education's Influence on Support for Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: 
Evans, Geoffrey
Publisher: 
Taylor & Francis
Date published: 
2012
Record type: 
Region: 
Responsibility: 
Rose, Pauline, jt. author
Journal Title: 
Journal of Development Studies
Source: 
The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 48, Issue 4, April 2012, pp. 498-515
Abstract: 

Is education consequential for popular endorsement of democracy in developing societies and, if so, what are the mechanisms that account for this influence? We investigate the micro-foundations of the education–democracy nexus using a survey of 18 sub-Saharan African countries. We demonstrate that educational level is the strongest influence on support for democracy and rejection of non-democratic alternatives via its impact on comprehension of, and attention to, politics. This is consistent with a cognitive interpretation of the effects of education on democratic values rather than one which treats education as a marker of economic resource inequalities.

Language: 

CITATION: Evans, Geoffrey. Understanding Education's Influence on Support for Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa . : Taylor & Francis , 2012. The Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 48, Issue 4, April 2012, pp. 498-515 - Available at: https://library.au.int/understanding-educations-influence-support-democracy-sub-saharan-africa-4