SIBSHIP SIZE AND EDUCATIONAL-ATTAINMENT IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA - DO POLICIES MATTER

The Second Malaysian Family Life Survey is used to explore one of the most important components of interfamily inequality of school attainme nt: sibship size. The survey data document the differences in the effe cts of sibship size on children's secondary school attainment among Ma laysia's three ethnic communities. They also show the response of the sibship size effect to public policies targeting the ethnic Malay popu lation. Three board questions can be addressed using the available dat a: First, how important is sibship size as a determinant of educationa l attainment, ceteris paribus, within the Malay and nonMalay populatio ns? Second, how have the effects of sibship size changed over time? Th ird, are there ethnic differences in any such changes, differences tha t could be interpreted in light of the government's regulation of scho ol supply and employment opportunities for each group? Addressing thes e questions in the case of Malaysia illuminates the extent to which pu blic policy more generally can alter the effect of sibship size on edu cational attainment. The findings indicate that restrictions on family size by each of Malaysia's ethnic groups were a rational attempt by p arents to compensate for constraints on their ability to invest in the ir children's education.