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The early bird gets the cash: Early notification and conditional cash transfers for secondary school

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  • Leight, Jessica
  • Gilligan, Daniel O.
  • Mulford, Michael
  • Zafar, Sarim

Abstract

What is the optimal timing for a cash transfer targeting increased secondary school enrollment? We present evidence from a randomized trial in rural Ethiopia showing a CCT increases enrollment and reduces child marriage. The largest effects are observed for youth offered the transfer a year prior to their (potential) matriculation; in this cohort, there is also a significant in-crease in the probability students pass the primary school leaving exam. By contrast, reduced treatment effects are observed for prior dropouts, and a generalized random forest analysis suggests this primarily reflects different observable characteristics (lower academic performance) among this sub-sample.

Suggested Citation

  • Leight, Jessica & Gilligan, Daniel O. & Mulford, Michael & Zafar, Sarim, 2026. "The early bird gets the cash: Early notification and conditional cash transfers for secondary school," IFPRI discussion papers 2421, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:183379
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    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/183379
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    References listed on IDEAS

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