ECONOMIC FACTORS AND SCHOOL DROPOUT IN LATIN AMERICAN POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW (2020–2025)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present a systematic review of recent evidence from 2020 to 2025 on the relationship between poverty and school dropout in post-primary education in Latin America. Structured searches were conducted in Scopus, Redalyc, SciELO, Dialnet and EBSCO, using equivalent terms in Spanish, Portuguese and English. Inclusion criteria targeted causal identification in experimental and quasi-experimental studies, or rigorous control of confounding, through standardized extraction of information on context, design, results and heterogeneity.

Given the diversity of definitions and analytical strategies, a comparative narrative synthesis organized by mechanisms was adopted. The findings show that income constraints, adolescent labor, and the direct and indirect costs of transportation, school materials and food increase the risk of dropout; conversely, cash transfers, transportation subsidies, and the provision of connectivity and pedagogical support foster school persistence. Marked differences by rurality and subpopulations are also observed, supporting territorial equity approaches. The review further identifies gaps in the comparability of dropout measures and in access to longitudinal administrative data, suggesting a research agenda that evaluates combinations of policy instruments using robust designs and transparent reporting, and that deepens the analysis of heterogeneity by gender, rurality and ethnic belonging.