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Incentives to Learn

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Author Info
Michael Kremer (Department of Economics, Harvard University)
Edward Miguel (Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley)
Rebecca Thorton (Department of Economics, Harvard University)
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.

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Paper provided by Center for International and Development Economics Research, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley in its series Center for International and Development Economics Research, Working Paper Series with number 1060.

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Date of creation: 27 Jun 2006
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Handle: RePEc:cdl:ciders:1060

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Keywords: Education merit scholarships externalities

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