The Impact of Political Instability on School Performance: The Case of African Countries in The Franc Zone

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of political instability on school performance in the African countries of the Franc zone. Based on Houssaye’s (1988) pedagogical triangle, we develop a theoretical model in which political instability has a negative impact on knowledge production factors and, in turn, on school performance. These factors include teachers, teaching infrastructure and equipment, and teaching time. Empirical analysis shows that an increase of one percentage point in the synthetic index of internal conflict (reflecting an increase in political instability) leads to a significant drop of 0.07 percentage points in the primary completion rate. The same applies to the pupil-teacher ratio, where an increase (relatively fewer teachers) leads to a reduction in the completion rate. In addition, public spending, official development assistance, and real GDP per capita each have a positive and significant effect on the primary completion rate. A number of recommendations are put forward with a view to limiting the risk of internal conflict.