A few years ago, I became interested in the claims in the economic literature that gender equality promotes economic growth. They were mainly based on findings that focused on gender equality in education and employment, which appeared robust across countries and over time. However, they were largely based on macro-level data. They speculated but did not offer any empirical explanation for their finding. One of the few exceptions I found was a study by Stephan Klasen. Let me summarise my analysis of his findings and then discuss its relevance to the Bangladesh paradox.
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