We created a quiz-based intervention to help secondary school students in Cameroon with exam practice. sent regularly-spaced, multiple-choice questions students' own mobile devices and examined factors which influenced quiz participation. These quizzes were delivered via either SMS or WhatsApp per each student's preference. conducted 3-week deployment 546 at 3 schools during their month of independent study prior graduating exam. found that participation rates heavily impacted by trust the...

“Is Africa is different?” The question permeates the debate over Africa's fertility transitions, whether analysts ponder causes, consequences, or socioeconomic patterns of these transitions. Do transitions occur at a lower threshold economic development compared to, say, Latin American countries (Bongaarts and Casterline 2013; Bongaarts, this volume)? Will they yield demographic dividend, as was case among Asian Tigers (Bloom et al. 2007)? And do spread evenly across groups, claimed for...

In theory, declines in national fertility boost schooling by reducing age dependency, but questions remain about the size and catalysts of this dividend. We address these sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using a detailed framework decomposition methods. Results suggest that, beyond policy, dividends depend on characteristics transitions changes employment, economic performance, public commitment to education. Africa's are mixed. On one hand, annual resource per child grew average $73 between 1990...

Within developing countries, our understanding of reproductive inequality—how fertility is distributed within a population—has been shaped largely by studies differentials, practical but partial‐information measure. In this study, we examine whether exclusive reliance on differentials biases understanding, Findings based recent data from sub‐Saharan Africa show bias. We find that historical and especially cross‐country comparisons can yield substantially different conclusions about the...

In Cameroon, no exam is more important than the baccalauréat, which serves as gateway to adulthood and professional higher-education aspirations. We build on existing literature benefits of practice tests evaluate how SMS-based quizzes could help students in their final year secondary school prepare for baccalauréat. Students 23 schools across Yaoundé, capital received multiple-choice questions four times per week nine weeks leading up date. examined baccalauréat pass rates student feedback...

Abstract High unemployment in many developing countries is intensifying job competition and raising concern for the employment prospects of vulnerable groups, including children rural parents. This paper examines trends sources disadvantage associated with parentage Cameroon. In documenting inequality, study moves beyond a “consensus versus conflict” dichotomy, instead uses regression decomposition to estimate relative contributions both perspectives. It also fixed‐effects methods examine...

When studying global variation in fertility rates, researchers usually focus on one of two tracks. The first track, as taken by Carla Pezzulo and colleagues the subnational analysis published Lancet Global Health,1Pezzulo C et al.Geographical distribution rates 70 low-income middle-income countries, 2010–16: a cross-sectional surveys.Lancet Glob Health. 2021; 9: e802-e812Summary Full Text PDF Scopus (6) Google Scholar emphasises geographic tendency for high to cluster spatially. This...

Abstract Theories of contraception and fertility are currently dominated by economic cultural arguments. A demographic perspective can usefully expand these theories through “addition,” “explication,” “reconciliation.” The addition is about drawing attention to salient forces that have previously been underconsidered whether operate at the macro, meso, or microlevels. Explication adding explanatory flesh proximate influences, which themselves result from more fundamental changes. Finally,...