IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/injoed/v71y2019ics0738059319302354.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can scholarships provide equitable access to high-quality university education? Evidence from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

Author

Listed:
  • Cosentino, Clemencia
  • Fortson, Jane
  • Liuzzi, Sarah
  • Harris, Anthony
  • Blair, Randall

Abstract

This paper estimates the impact of a scholarship program—the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program—on access to university. Using propensity score matching, the analysis finds that the Program improves access to high-quality university studies among vulnerable, disadvantaged youth, mostly from Africa—increasing timely access to university, to higher levels of study, and to studies abroad. Half of scholarship recipients studying abroad return to Africa and a third pursue graduate studies within 18 months of graduation. The Program’s collaborative approach holds promise for scaling up this and similar efforts to increase university participation among youth in African and other nations.

Suggested Citation

  • Cosentino, Clemencia & Fortson, Jane & Liuzzi, Sarah & Harris, Anthony & Blair, Randall, 2019. "Can scholarships provide equitable access to high-quality university education? Evidence from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:71:y:2019:i:c:s0738059319302354
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.102089
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059319302354
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.102089?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Orazio Attanasio & Emla Fitzsimons & Ana Gomez & Martha Isabel Gutiérrez & Costas Meghir & Alice Mesnard, 2010. "Children's Schooling and Work in the Presence of a Conditional Cash Transfer Program in Rural Colombia," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(2), pages 181-210, January.
    2. Samer Al-Samarrai & Hassan Zaman, 2007. "Abolishing School Fees in Malawi: The Impact on Education Access and Equity," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 359-375.
    3. Ousman Gajigo, 2016. "Closing the education gender gap: estimating the impact of girls' scholarship program in The Gambia," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 167-188, April.
    4. Filmer, Deon & Schady, Norbert, 2009. "School enrollment, selection and test scores," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4998, The World Bank.
    5. Montenegro, Claudio E. & Patrinos, Harry Anthony, 2014. "Comparable estimates of returns to schooling around the world," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7020, The World Bank.
    6. Esther Duflo & Pascaline Dupas & Michael Kremer, 2015. "Education, HIV, and Early Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Kenya," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(9), pages 2757-2797, September.
    7. Xin Meng & Jim Ryan, 2010. "Does a food for education program affect school outcomes? The Bangladesh case," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 23(2), pages 415-447, March.
    8. Aya Ali Hussein & Rasyikah Md Khalid, 2018. "Issues in the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Iraq," International Journal of Asian Social Science, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 8(7), pages 396-405, July.
    9. Peter Darvas & Shang Gao & Yijun Shen & Bilal Bawany, 2017. "Sharing Higher Education's Promise beyond the Few in Sub-Saharan Africa [Enseignement supérieur et équité en Afrique subsaharienne]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 27617, December.
    10. Deininger, Klaus, 2003. "Does cost of schooling affect enrollment by the poor? Universal primary education in Uganda," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 291-305, June.
    11. Dandolo F., 2018. "A Review on Immigration Issues in Italy," Rivista economica del Mezzogiorno, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1-2, pages 167-186.
    12. Joshua Angrist & Eric Bettinger & Michael Kremer, 2006. "Long-Term Educational Consequences of Secondary School Vouchers: Evidence from Administrative Records in Colombia," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(3), pages 847-862, June.
    13. Jere R. Behrman & Susan W. Parker & Petra E. Todd, 2005. "Long-Term Impacts of the Oportunidades Conditional Cash Transfer Program on Rural Youth in Mexico," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 122, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mallory Baxter & Milena Novy‐Marx & Sophia D'Angelo, 2022. "Improving pathways for girls and disadvantaged youth through secondary education and into work: Evidence and reflections from practice: Special Issue Youth & Adolescent Skills Development: Preparing y," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 40(S2), October.
    2. de Silva, Tiloka & Gothama, Supun & Premakumara, Priyantha, 2021. "Admissions quotas in university education: Targeting and mismatch under Sri Lanka’s affirmative action policy," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Rachman, M. Aulia, 2023. "Scholarship for catching up? The Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship program as a pillar of economic development policy," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    4. Campbell, Anne C. & Lavallee, Chelsea A. & Kelly-Weber, Erin, 2021. "International scholarships and home country civil service: Comparing perspectives of government employment for social change in Ghana and Nigeria," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Javier E. Báez & Adriana Camacho, 2011. "Assessing the Long-term Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers on Human Capital: Evidence from Colombia," Documentos CEDE 8900, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    2. Brudevold-Newman, Andrew, 2021. "Expanding access to secondary education: Evidence from a fee reduction and capacity expansion policy in kenya," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    3. Masuda, Kazuya & Yamauchi, Chikako, 2018. "The Effects of Universal Secondary Education Program Accompanying Public-Private Partnership on Students' Access, Sorting and Achievement: Evidence from Uganda," CEI Working Paper Series 2018-4, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    4. Burchardi, Konrad & de Quidt, Jonathan & Gulesci, Selim & Sulaiman, Munshi, 2021. "Credit constraints and demand for remedial education: Evidence from Tanzania," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 545, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    5. Sakaue, Katsuki, 2018. "Informal fee charge and school choice under a free primary education policy: Panel data evidence from rural Uganda," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 112-127.
    6. Valente, Christine, 2019. "Primary education expansion and quality of schooling," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    7. Felipe Barrera-Osorio & Leigh L. Linden & Juan E. Saavedra, 2019. "Medium- and Long-Term Educational Consequences of Alternative Conditional Cash Transfer Designs: Experimental Evidence from Colombia," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 54-91, July.
    8. Orazem, Peter F. & King, Elizabeth M., 2008. "Schooling in Developing Countries: The Roles of Supply, Demand and Government Policy," Handbook of Development Economics, in: T. Paul Schultz & John A. Strauss (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 55, pages 3475-3559, Elsevier.
    9. Tsaneva, Magda, 2017. "Does school Matter? Learning outcomes of Indonesian children after dropping out of school," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 6(C), pages 1-10.
    10. Najy Benhassine & Florencia Devoto & Esther Duflo & Pascaline Dupas & Victor Pouliquen, 2015. "Turning a Shove into a Nudge? A "Labeled Cash Transfer" for Education," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 7(3), pages 86-125, August.
    11. Barungi, Mildred & Kasirye, Ibrahim, 2013. "Improving girl’s access to secondary schooling," Research Series 159674, Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC).
    12. Esther Duflo & Pascaline Dupas & Michael Kremer, 2021. "The Impact of Free Secondary Education: Experimental Evidence from Ghana," NBER Working Papers 28937, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Orazem, Peter F. & Glewwe, Paul & Patrinos, Harry, 2007. "The Benefits and Costs of Alternative Strategies to Improve Educational Outcomes," Working Papers 7352, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    14. Behrman, J. & Parker, S. & Todd, P. & Zhang, W., 2021. "Prospering through Prospera: CCT Impacts on Educational Attainment and Achievement in Mexico," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2178, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    15. Orazem, Peter F., 2006. "The Benefits and Costs of Alternative Strategies to Combat Illiteracy," Working Papers 18218, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    16. Muhammad Qahraman Kakar, 2021. "Ethnic Disparities, Women Education and Empowerment in South Asia," Erudite Ph.D Dissertations, Erudite, number ph21-01 edited by Manon Domingues Dos Santos, December.
    17. Moshoeshoe,Ramaele Elias, 2020. "Long-Term Effects of Free Primary Education on Educational Achievement : Evidence from Lesotho," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9404, The World Bank.
    18. Fan Li & Yingquan Song & Hongmei Yi & Jianguo Wei & Linxiu Zhang & Yaojiang Shi & James Chu & Natalie Johnson & Prashant Loyalka & Scott Rozelle, 2017. "The impact of conditional cash transfers on the matriculation of junior high school students into rural China’s high schools," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 41-60, January.
    19. Monica J. Grant, 2015. "The Demographic Promise of Expanded Female Education: Trends in the Age at First Birth in Malawi," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(3), pages 409-438, September.
    20. Jules Gazeaud & Claire Ricard, 2021. "Conditional cash transfers and the learning crisis: evidence from Tayssir scale-up in Morocco," NOVAFRICA Working Paper Series wp2102, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics, NOVAFRICA.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:71:y:2019:i:c:s0738059319302354. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-educational-development .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.