%0 Report
        %A Hornung, Erik
%A Schwerdt, Guido
%A Strazzeri, Maurizio
        %T Religious Practice and Student Performance: Evidence from Ramadan Fasting
        %D 2021
        %8 2021 Oct
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 14769
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp14769
        %X We investigate how the intensity of Ramadan affects educational outcomes by exploiting spatio-temporal variation in annual fasting hours. Longer fasting hours are related to increases in student performance in a panel of TIMMS test scores (1995–2019) across Muslim countries but not other countries. Results are confirmed in a panel of PISA test scores (2003–2018) allowing within country-wave comparisons of Muslim to non-Muslim students across Europe. We provide evidence consistent with the hypothesis that a demanding Ramadan during adolescence affects educational performance by facilitating formation of social capital and social identity via increased religious participation and shared experiences among students.
        %K education
%K religion
%K religious participation
%K Ramadan
%K social identity
%K social capital
%K PISA
%K TIMMS