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Informing Mothers about the Benefits of Conversing with Infants: Experimental Evidence from Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Pascaline Dupas
  • Camille Falezan
  • Seema Jayachandran
  • Mark Walsh

Abstract

We evaluate a low-cost intervention designed to boost parents' verbal engagement with infants, which tends to be limited in developing countries. In our randomized experiment, recent or expectant mothers watched a three-minute informational video and received a themed calendar. Six months later, treated mothers reported stronger belief in the benefits of verbal engagement, more frequent parent-infant conversation, and more advanced infant language skills. Treatment effects on objective measures of parent-child conversation frequency and infant skills were positive but insignificant. We find larger immediate treatment effects on objective parent-child conversation, suggesting potentially larger long-term effects had the behavior change stuck more.

Suggested Citation

  • Pascaline Dupas & Camille Falezan & Seema Jayachandran & Mark Walsh, 2025. "Informing Mothers about the Benefits of Conversing with Infants: Experimental Evidence from Ghana," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 17(2), pages 388-417, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:17:y:2025:i:2:p:388-417
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230283
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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