IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/aea/apandp/v114y2024p459-62.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Long-Term Effects of Preschool Subsidies and Cash Transfers on Child Development: Evidence from Uganda

Author

Listed:
  • Kjetil Bjorvatn
  • Denise Ferris
  • Selim Gulesci
  • Arne Nasgowitz
  • Vincent Somville
  • Lore Vandewalle

Abstract

Shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, three-to-five-year-old children in Uganda were randomly offered a subsidy to attend full-day preschool for one year. A second treatment group received cash transfers that were at least as large as the cost of the preschool subsidy provided, while a third group received both. Children who attended preschool prior to the pandemic have better anthropometric outcomes three years later. We do not find persistent effects on their learning outcomes. Effects of cash transfers on child development are similar to those of the preschool subsidy.

Suggested Citation

  • Kjetil Bjorvatn & Denise Ferris & Selim Gulesci & Arne Nasgowitz & Vincent Somville & Lore Vandewalle, 2024. "Long-Term Effects of Preschool Subsidies and Cash Transfers on Child Development: Evidence from Uganda," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 114, pages 459-462, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:114:y:2024:p:459-62
    DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20241014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/pandp.20241014
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/E198065V1
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/pandp.20241014.appx
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/pandp.20241014.ds
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to AEA members and institutional subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1257/pandp.20241014?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert W. Fairlie & Dean Karlan & Jonathan Zinman, 2015. "Behind the GATE Experiment: Evidence on Effects of and Rationales for Subsidized Entrepreneurship Training," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 7(2), pages 125-161, May.
    2. Jeffrey R Kling & Jeffrey B Liebman & Lawrence F Katz, 2007. "Experimental Analysis of Neighborhood Effects," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 75(1), pages 83-119, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Bandiera, Oriana. & Buehren, Niklas. & Burgess, Robin & Goldstein, Markus P., & Gulesci, Selim. & Rasul, Imran. & Sulaiman, Munshi., 2015. "Women’s economic empowerment in action : evidence from a randomized control trial in Africa," ILO Working Papers 994874053402676, International Labour Organization.
    2. Gabriela Calderon & Jesse M. Cunha & Giacomo De Giorgi, 2020. "Business Literacy and Development: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural Mexico," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 68(2), pages 507-540.
    3. Dalton, Patricio & Rüschenpöhler, Julius & Uras, Burak & Zia, Bilal, 2019. "Local Best Practices for Business Growth," Other publications TiSEM fc650e2f-88cf-4d75-8257-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Kugler Franziska & Schwerdt Guido & Wößmann Ludger, 2014. "Ökonometrische Methoden zur Evaluierung kausaler Effekte der Wirtschaftspolitik," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 15(2), pages 105-132, June.
    5. Kjetil Bjorvatn & Denise Ferris & Selim Gulesci & Arne Nasgowitz & Vincent Somville & Lore Vandewalle, 2025. "Childcare, Labor Supply, and Business Development: Experimental Evidence from Uganda," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 17(2), pages 75-101, April.
    6. David M. Cutler & Adriana Lleras-Muney & Tom Vogl, 2008. "Socioeconomic Status and Health: Dimensions and Mechanisms," NBER Working Papers 14333, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Ward, Shannon & Williams, Jenny & van Ours, Jan C., 2015. "Bad Behavior: Delinquency, Arrest and Early School Leaving," IZA Discussion Papers 9248, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Dolan, Paul & Metcalf, Robert, 2008. "Comparing willingness-to-pay and subjective well-being in the context of non-market goods," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 28504, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Hardt, David & Nagler, Markus & Rincke, Johannes, 2023. "Tutoring in (online) higher education: Experimental evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    10. Gustavo J. Bobonis & Paul J. Gertler & Marco Gonzalez-Navarro & Simeon Nichter, 2022. "Vulnerability and Clientelism," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(11), pages 3627-3659, November.
    11. de Brauw, Alan & Gilligan, Daniel O. & Hoddinott, John & Roy, Shalini, 2014. "The Impact of Bolsa Família on Women’s Decision-Making Power," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 487-504.
    12. Gaurav Khanna & Carlos Medina & Anant Nyshadham & Jorge Tamayo & Nicolas Torres, 2023. "Formal Employment and Organised Crime: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Colombia," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(654), pages 2427-2448.
    13. Sandra J. Newman, 2008. "Does housing matter for poor families? A critical summary of research and issues still to be resolved," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 895-925.
    14. Sanz-de-Galdeano, Anna & Terskaya, Anastasia, 2019. "Sibling Differences in Educational Polygenic Scores: How Do Parents React?," IZA Discussion Papers 12375, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. repec:hal:psewpa:halshs-03966677 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/4rm8ji0nae9elbggr366la3786 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Anup Malani & Cynthia Kinnan & Gabriella Conti & Kosuke Imai & Morgen Miller & Shailender Swaminathan & Alessandra Voena & Bartosz Woda, 2024. "Evaluating pricing health insurance in lower-income countries: A field experiment in India," IFS Working Papers W24/33, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    18. Oberrauch, Luis & Kaiser, Tim, 2020. "Economic competence in early secondary school: Evidence from a large-scale assessment in Germany," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    19. Cerdá, Magdalena & Buka, Stephen L. & Rich-Edwards, Janet W., 2008. "Neighborhood influences on the association between maternal age and birthweight: A multilevel investigation of age-related disparities in health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 2048-2060, May.
    20. Stephen Gibbons & Henry G. Overman, 2012. "Mostly Pointless Spatial Econometrics?," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 172-191, May.
    21. Stephen L. Ross, 2009. "Social Interactions within Cities: Neighborhood Environments and Peer Relationships," Working papers 2009-31, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    22. Malani, Anup & Holtzman, Phoebe & Imai, Kosuke & Kinnan, Cynthia & Miller, Morgen & Swaminathan, Shailender & Voena, Alessandra & Woda, Bartek & Conti, Gabriella, 2021. "Effect of Health Insurance in India: A Randomized Controlled Trial," IZA Discussion Papers 14913, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:aea:apandp:v:114:y:2024:p:459-62. 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: Michael P. Albert (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aeaaaea.html .

    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.