Technology and Educational Choices: Evidence from a One-Laptop-per-Child Program

PWP-CCPR-2018-012

Abstract

Governments and organizations around the globe are seeking to expand children's access to computers and the internet as the United Nations calls for efforts to eliminate the digital divide. However, little is known about the effects this expansion may have on long-run human capital accumulation. This paper estimates the causal effect of access to computers and the internet on educational attainment and choice of major. To establish a causal link, I exploit variation in access to computers and the internet across cohorts and provinces among primary and middle school students in Uruguay, the first country to implement a nationwide one-laptop-per-child program. Despite a notable increase in computer access, educational attainment has not increased; however, the program appears to have had considerable effects on other margins. For instance, students who went on to the university were more likely to select majors with good employment prospects. They were also less likely to enroll in multiple majors at the same time, thereby reducing congestion in the public university system.