The impact of terrorism on education: Evidence from the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of terrorism on educational outcomes following the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The unexpected death of bin Laden, al-Qaeda’s founder and symbolic leader, triggered a significant escalation in retaliatory terrorist attacks. Terrorist groups perceived Pakistan as complicit in the U.S. operation, leading to increased attacks on government, military, and civilian targets, with assaults on educational institutions rising by 50 percent. This surge led to a significant decline in educational attainment, reducing average years of schooling by 0.52 years and lowering primary school completion rates by 5.9 percentage points, with a more pronounced impact on girls. Furthermore, academic performance declined, with math, English, and reading scores falling by approximately 0.1 standard deviations. These findings highlight that the elimination of a terrorist leader can incite retaliatory violence, significantly undermining the educational prospects of children, particularly girls.