Abstract The cultural practice of bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan may alter the returns to education for young women in an ambiguous direction due to two competing effects. On the one hand, women facing a risk of kidnapping may reduce education investment due to uncertain returns. Alternatively, since kidnapping is less likely to occur while a woman is in school, women may increase education investment to lower their personal risk of being kidnapped into marriage. Understanding how education is affected by kidnapping risk allows us to better anticipate changes in education when the laws are enforced and the risk declines. We develop a two-period utility model to highlight the effects of kidnapping risk on education and to help identify those girls who are most likely to increase their education when faced with positive regional kidnapping risk and thus most likely to reduce education if the risk is eliminated. We test the implications of the theory empirically using the Life in Kyrgyzstan data. Difference-in-difference regression results point to a negative relationship between regional kidnapping rates and education, suggesting that the elimination of kidnapping is likely to induce higher education rates of women in Kyrgyzstan. The results are informative to the literature at the intersection of marriage traditions, women's bargaining power and education attainment.

中文翻译：

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婚姻传统与教育投资：抢婚案

摘要 吉尔吉斯斯坦的新娘绑架文化习俗可能会在两个相互竞争的影响下以模糊的方向改变年轻女性的教育回报。一方面，面临被绑架风险的女性可能会因回报不确定而减少教育投资。或者，由于女性在学校期间发生绑架的可能性较小，因此女性可能会增加教育投资，以降低她们被绑架结婚的个人风险。了解绑架风险如何影响教育，使我们能够更好地预测在法律实施和风险下降时教育的变化。我们开发了一个两期实用模型，以突出绑架风险对教育的影响，并帮助确定那些在面临积极的区域绑架风险时最有可能增加教育的女孩，因此如果风险消除，则最有可能减少教育. 我们使用吉尔吉斯斯坦的生活数据经验性地测试了该理论的含义。差值回归结果表明地区绑架率与教育之间存在负相关关系，表明消除绑架可能会导致吉尔吉斯斯坦女性受教育率更高。结果对婚姻传统、妇女讨价还价能力和教育程度的交叉点的文献提供了信息。我们使用吉尔吉斯斯坦的生活数据经验性地测试了该理论的含义。差值回归结果表明地区绑架率与教育之间存在负相关关系，表明消除绑架可能会导致吉尔吉斯斯坦女性受教育率更高。结果对婚姻传统、妇女讨价还价能力和教育程度的交叉点的文献提供了信息。我们使用吉尔吉斯斯坦的生活数据经验性地测试了该理论的含义。差值回归结果表明地区绑架率与教育之间存在负相关关系，表明消除绑架可能会导致吉尔吉斯斯坦女性受教育率更高。结果对婚姻传统、妇女讨价还价能力和教育程度的交叉点的文献提供了信息。