Economic Impacts of the 1997 Compulsory Education Reform in Türkiye: New Findings and Employment Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the economic impact of Türkiye's 1997 compulsory education reform (CER), which extended mandatory schooling from five to eight years. Utilizing data from the seventh wave of the World Values Survey and employing an instrumental variable approach with Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) estimation, I provide new insights into the reform's outcomes. The findings reveal that the reform significantly increased educational attainment and reduced gender disparities. However, the anticipated economic benefits were limited, with higher unemployment rates and a lower likelihood of high-skilled employment among affected cohorts. Additionally, those affected by the reform reported lower perceived improvements in their standard of living compared to their parents. These results suggest that the expansion of education increased the supply of educated individuals, potentially lowering the overall value of education in the labour market.

Keywords

• Compulsory Education Reform
• Economic Impact
• Educational Attainment
• Labour Market Outcomes
• Gender Disparities

Türkiye'de 1997 Zorunlu Eğitim Reformunun Ekonomik Etkileri: Yeni Bulgular ve İstihdam Üzerine Analizler

Öz

Bu çalışma, Türkiye'nin 1997 yılında zorunlu eğitim süresini beş yıldan sekiz yıla çıkaran zorunlu eğitim reformunun ekonomik etkilerini araştırmaktadır. Yedinci dalga Dünya Değerler Anketi verilerini kullanarak ve İki Aşamalı En Küçük Kareler (2SLS) tahmin yöntemiyle yapılan araç değişken (IV) yaklaşımını kullanarak, reformun sonuçlarına dair yeni iç görüler sunmaktadır. Bulgular, reformun eğitim düzeyini önemli ölçüde artırdığını ve cinsiyet farkını azalttığını göstermektedir. Ancak, beklenen ekonomik faydalar sınırlı kalmıştır; etkilenen gruplar arasında işsizlik oranları daha yüksek ve yüksek vasıflı işlerde çalışma olasılığı daha düşüktür. Ayrıca, reformdan etkilenenler, ebeveynlerine kıyasla yaşam standartlarında daha düşük algılanan iyileşmeler bildirmiştir. Bu sonuçlar, eğitimin genişlemesinin eğitimli birey arzını artırarak işgücü piyasasında eğitimin genel değerini düşürebileceğini göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Zorunlu Eğitim Reformu
• Ekonomik Etki
• Eğitim Düzeyi
• İşgücü Piyasası Sonuçları
• Cinsiyet Farklılıkları

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