Working Paper: NBER ID: w10971
Authors: Michael Kremer; Edward Miguel; Rebecca Thornton
Abstract: We report results from a randomized evaluation of a merit scholarship program for adolescent girls in Kenya. Girls who scored well on academic exams had their school fees paid and received a cash grant for school supplies. Girls eligible for the scholarship showed significant gains in academic exam scores (average gain 0.12-0.19 standard deviations) and these gains persisted following the competition. There is also evidence of positive program externalities on learning: boys, who were ineligible for the awards, also showed sizeable average test gains, as did girls with low pretest scores, who were unlikely to win. Both student and teacher school attendance increased in the program schools. We discuss implications both for understanding the nature of educational production functions and for the policy debate surrounding merit scholarships.
Keywords: merit scholarship; education; Kenya; randomized evaluation
JEL Codes: I21; O15; C93
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Scholarship eligibility (I24) | Improved test performance (C52) |
| Increased attendance and effort by eligible girls (I24) | Motivated ineligible boys and lower-scoring girls (I24) |
| Scholarship program (I22) | Increased student and teacher attendance in program schools (I21) |
| Scholarship program (I22) | Positive externalities on boys and lower-scoring girls (I24) |