THE EFFECT OF PARENTAL EDUCATION ON CHILDREN’S EDUCATION AND SKILLS IN THAILAND

Abstract

This study proposes evidence of the effect of parental education on children’s education and skills in Thailand, using data from the Thailand Labor Force Survey of 1985–2017. Employing the instrumental variable (IV) approach using Thailand’s compulsory educational reform of 1978 as the IV to minimize the bias caused by the endogeneity of parental education, this study reaffirms the conventional positive link between parental education and children’s education. New and intriguing evidence is put forth on the negative link between parental education and the child’s brawn skill, based on industry and occupation used in the labor market. The influence of paternal education outweighs maternal education, in contrast to the evidence found in developed countries. The high intergenerational educational persistence indicates unequal opportunities in the country, as individual welfare is primarily tied to parental background. Therefore, weakening this linkage is a policy recommendation for the government to improve equality in the country.