The Impact of Secondary Schooling in Kenya: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis

I estimate the impacts of secondary school on human capital, occupational choice, and fertility for young adults in Kenya. Probability of admission to government secondary school rises sharply at a score close to the national mean on a standardized eighth grade examination, permitting me to estimate causal effects of schooling in a regression discontinuity framework. I combine administrative test score data with a survey of young adults to estimate these impacts. My results show that secondary schooling increases human capital. For men, I find a drop in low-skill self-employment; for women, I find a reduction in teen pregnancy.