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The medium-term impact of the primary education stipend in rural Bangladesh

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  • Baulch, Bob

Abstract

This paper investigates the long-term impact of Bangladeshs Primary Education Stipend (PES) program on a range of individual and household welfare measures using a unique longitudinal study spanning the years 2000 to 2006. Using covariate and propensity score matching and difference-in-difference methods, the program is shown to have negligible impacts on school enrollments, household expenditures, calorie consumption, and protein consumption. At the individual level, the PES has a negative impact on grade progression, especially among boys from poor households who are ineligible to receive stipends at the secondary level. The program does, however, lead to improvements in height for age among girls and body mass index among boys. Nonetheless, the impacts of the PES are remarkably small for a program of its size. Poor targeting combined, in particular the program’s limited coverage and lack of geographical targeting, plus the declining real value of the stipend are the most plausible reasons for this lack of impact.

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  • Baulch, Bob, 2010. "The medium-term impact of the primary education stipend in rural Bangladesh," IFPRI discussion papers 976, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:976
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Davis, Peter, 2010. "Exploring the long-term impact of development interventions within life-history narratives in rural Bangladesh," IFPRI discussion papers 991, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. Akhter Ahmed & Mubina Khondkar & Agnes Quisumbing, 2011. "Understanding the context of institutions and policy processes for selected anti-poverty interventions in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 175-192.
    3. Peter Davis & Bob Baulch, 2010. "Casting the net wide and deep: lessons learned in a mixed-methods study of poverty dynamics in rural Bangladesh," Working Papers id:2674, eSocialSciences.
    4. Manley, James & Gitter, Seth & Slavchevska, Vanya, 2013. "How Effective are Cash Transfers at Improving Nutritional Status?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 133-155.
    5. Agnes Quisumbing & Bob Baulch & Neha Kumar, 2011. "Evaluating the long-term impact of anti-poverty interventions in Bangladesh: an overview," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 153-174.
    6. Ahmed, Akhter U. & Khondkar, Mubina, 2010. "An analysis of institutions and policy processes for selected antipoverty interventions in Bangladesh," IFPRI discussion papers 1046, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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    Keywords

    conditional cash transfers; geographical targeting; Household expenditures; primary education; Primary Education Stipend (PES) program;
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