(Benavot, 1992, p 153)
Benavot points out that
nations around the world, especially in the Third World, have allocated
substantial - and, in most cases, increasing - amounts of instructional time
to mathematics and science, the two subject areas thought to have the
greatest relevance to economic and technological development. (p 157)
Benavot found firstly that if less developed countries only are considered, the overall
hours of instruction had a positive but non-significant relationship with economic
growth. However, among nations with high primary enrollment rates, the relationship
was positive and significant.
Secondly, Benavot considered the possible effects of instruction in each of eight subject
areas. The findings were (for less developed countries) that science education has a
significant positive relationship with economic growth. Prevocational (or practical)
education has a negative relationship, which is significant only for poorer less developed
countries.
There is no evidence that instructional hours allocated to either elementary mathematics
or language significantly contribute to long term economic growth. In fact the direction
of the regression coefficient associated with mathematics education is actually negative.
However,
those Third World countries allocating more hours to aesthetic education
experienced, other things being equal, stronger growth rates; those that
allocated more time to physical education experienced slower growth
rates. (pp 167-168)
Benavot's main conclusion, therefore, was that
Countries requiring more hours of elementary science education, other
things being equal, experienced more rapid increases in their standards of
living during the 1960-85 period. It was not established if the emphasis on
science education at the primary level is the key causal factor, or if the
explicit (rather than implicit) content of the subject area is the key
mechanism linking the curriculum to the economy. (p 173)
Benavot explains that the measure (instructional hours in elementary science) may be a
proxy for some related attribute of nations.