Working Paper: NBER ID: w18818
Authors: Diether W. Beuermann; Julian P. Cristia; Yyannu Cruzaguayo; Santiago Cueto; Ofer Malamud
Abstract: This paper presents results from a randomized control trial in which approximately 1,000 OLPC XO laptops were provided for home use to children attending primary schools in Lima, Peru. The intervention increased access and use of home computers, with some substitution away from computer use outside the home. Beneficiaries were more likely to complete domestic chores but less likely to read books. Treatment children scored almost one standard deviation higher in a test of XO proficiency, though there were no effects on objective and self-reported skills for using a Windows-based PC and Internet. There were positive impacts on the Raven's Progressive Matrices test among children who did not have a home computer before the intervention, but no significant effects for the sample as a whole. Finally, there was little evidence for spillovers within schools, although close friends and classmates of laptop recipients did exhibit higher proficiency with the XO computer.
Keywords: home computers; child outcomes; randomized experiment
JEL Codes: I25
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| providing OLPC laptops (I24) | likelihood of children having access to a computer at home (C81) |
| treatment children (J13) | likelihood to use computers at home (C89) |
| providing OLPC laptops (I24) | likelihood of using computers in internet cafes (L86) |
| providing OLPC laptops (I24) | proficiency on tests measuring XO laptop use (C91) |
| children without prior home computer access (I24) | positive effects on Ravens Progressive Matrices test (C92) |
| treatment children (J13) | educational engagement (I24) |