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Beyond Short-Term Learning Gains: the Impact of Outsourcing Schools in Liberia After Three Years

Author

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  • Mauricio Romero
  • Justin Sandefur

Abstract

Outsourcing the management of ninety-three randomly-selected government primary schools in Liberia to eight private operators led to learning gains of 0.18after one year, but these effects plateaued in subsequent years (reaching 0.2 after three years). Beyond learning gains, the programme reduced corporal punishment (by 4.6 percentage points from a base of 51%), but increased dropout (by 3.3 percentage points from a base of 15%) and failed to reduce sexual abuse. Despite facing similar contracts and settings, some providers produced uniformly positive results, while others presented trade-offs between learning gains, access to education, child safety, and financial sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Mauricio Romero & Justin Sandefur, 2022. "Beyond Short-Term Learning Gains: the Impact of Outsourcing Schools in Liberia After Three Years," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(644), pages 1600-1619.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:132:y:2022:i:644:p:1600-1619.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueab087
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    Cited by:

    1. Hoadley, Ursula, 2024. "How do structured pedagogy programmes affect reading instruction in African early grade classrooms?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Emma Duchini & Victor Lavy & Stephen Machin & Shqiponja Telhaj, 2025. "Personnel policy in public sector organizations: evidence from England's academy schools," CEP Discussion Papers dp2129, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    3. Wayne Aaron Sandholtz & Wayne Sandholtz, 2023. "The Politics of Public Service Reform: Experimental Evidence from Liberia," CESifo Working Paper Series 10633, CESifo.
    4. Crawfurd, Lee & Evans, David K. & Hares, Susannah & Sandefur, Justin, 2023. "Live tutoring calls did not improve learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • L32 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Enterprises; Public-Private Enterprises
    • L33 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprise and Nonprofit Institutions; Privatization; Contracting Out

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