Land and schooling : transferring wealth across generations /

This volume thoroughly examines wealth transfers across generations in the form of land bequests and investment in education in three countries. The authors hypothesize that decisions on land bequests to men and women are made according to their comparative advantage in farm work. Survey data they gathered in five Philippine villages where bilateral inheritance has been traditionally practiced reveal that men inherit more land than women. Empirical results from two districts in Sumatra that practice matrilineal inheritance as well as ten villages in Ghana that practice uterine matrilineal inheritance are consistent with the above hypothesis. As to schooling investments, there is weak evidence of parental discrimination against daughters in all three sites. The authors also find that schooling is not important in determining agricultural income, and that women's schooling has positive and significant impacts on per capita household expenditures in the Philippines, while the opposite holds true in Ghana. The book is well written and carefully laid out. While statistical information is presented, readers can proceed directly to the section summarizing results, which makes the book accessible to a wide audience interested in land distribution patterns and gender inequality in the developing world. Required reading for policy makers contemplating land reform and education policies. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. M. Q. Dao Eastern Illinois University