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Seoul Journal of Economics
[ Article ]
Seoul Journal of Economics - Vol. 29, No. 4, pp.553-572
ISSN: 1225-0279 (Print)
Print publication date 30 Nov 2016
Received 24 Sep 2016 Revised 19 Oct 2016 Accepted 28 Oct 2016

Short-Term Impacts of a Cash Transfer Program for Girls’ Education on Academic Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Malawian Secondary Schools

Booyuel Kim
Booyuel Kim, Assistant Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Sejong 30149, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-44-550-1023, Fax: +82-44-550-1129 bkim@kdischool.ac.kr

JEL Classification: C93, I20, O15

Abstract

This paper evaluates a randomized controlled trial of a cash transfer program for the girls’ education by studying the shortterm academic achievement of 3,997 female students (9th–11th grade) across 124 classrooms in 33 public secondary schools in Malawi. Results show that students provided with one-year tuition support and monthly cash stipends are more likely to attend school and have better test scores in the short run. These students also regarded education more seriously with higher aspirations for educational achievement.

Keywords:

Cash transfer, Girls’ education, Malawi, Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

Acknowledgments

I am very grateful to Cristian Pop-Eleches, Hyuncheol Bryant Kim, Syngjoo Choi, Douglas Almond, and Miguel Urquiola. I would like to thank seminar participants at KDI School, PAA 2015, Seoul National University, Sogang University, and Yonsei University for useful discussions. I also thank Young-sim Baek, Susie Kim, Eunseok Kim, Sangeun Park, Joshua Kim, Jinho Kim, Taeksoo Kim, Hanyoun So and all members of ‘Project Malawi’ team for their support, excellent field work, and data management. The IRB review for this project was approved by Malawi National Health Science Research Committee (Malawi NHSRC #902). This project is supported by funding and administrative support from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Africa Future Foundation (AFF), and Daeyang Luke Hospital. All views expressed are mine, and all errors are my own.

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