Do poor housing conditions affect educational attainment? : an analysis of the impact
      of poor housing conditions on educational achievement, a study based in Buenos Aires,
      Argentina

Lanus, Ramon M.

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of poor housing conditions on educational achievement, a study based in Buenos Aires,
Argentina

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Lanus, Ramon M.

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Thesis (M.P.P.)--Georgetown University, 2009.; Includes bibliographical references. For several decades there have been important discussions about how to improve educational attainment. Most of those discussions have focused their attention on in-school factors such as improving the quality of the teachers, reducing class sizes, and improving schools' facilities. Recent research has shown that there are many out-of-school factors, such as family background, neighborhood characteristics or peer composition which can have significant effects on educational attainment. However, the effects of poor housing conditions on educational Achievement have received little attention. This study analyzes the effect that overcrowded housing has on educational attainment and attendance. Using a linear probability model, we find that, in the metropolitan Buenos Aires area in Argentina there is a strong negative relationship between living in a house with more than two people and the probability of completing secondary education and high school attendance. The findings, together with the fact that in Argentina 20% of households lack adequate housing, support the hypothesis that there is a strong need to include housing conditions in the discussion of how to improve human capital and get people out of the poverty trap.