  Enabling children to acquire an education is one of the most effective means
to reduce inequality, poverty, and ill-health globally. While in normal times a
government controls its educational policies, during times of macroeconomic
instability, that control may shift to supporting international organizations,
such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While much research has focused
on which sectors has been affected by IMF policies, scholars have devoted
little attention to the policy content of IMF interventions affecting the
education sector and childrens education outcomes: denoted IMF education
policies. This article evaluates the extent which IMF education policies exist
in all programs and how these policies and IMF programs affect childrens
likelihood of completing schools. While IMF education policies have a small
adverse effect yet statistically insignificant on childrens probability of
completing school, these policies moderate effect heterogeneity for IMF
programs. The effect of IMF programs (joint set of policies) adversely effect
childrens chances of completing school by six percentage points. By analyzing
how IMF-education policies but also how IMF programs affect the education
sector in low and middle-income countries, scholars will gain a deeper
understanding of how such policies will likely affect downstream outcomes.
