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The Short-Term Impacts of as Schooling Cash Transfer Program on the Sexual Behavior of Young Women

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Baird

    (Center for Global Health/ Institute for International Economic Policy, George Washington University)

  • Ephraim Chirwa

    (Deparment of Economiccs/ Chancellor College, University of Malawi)

  • Craig McIntosh

    (Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IRPS), University of California San Diego)

  • Berk Ozler

    (Development Economics Research Group, World Bank)

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that conditional cash transfer programs for schooling are effective in raising school enrollment and attendance. However, there is also reason to believe that such programs can affect other outcomes, such as the sexual behavior of their young beneficiaries. Zomba Cash Transfer Program is a randomized, ongoing conditional cash transfer intervention targeting young women in Malawi that provides incentives (in the form of school fees and cash transfers) to current schoolgirls and recent dropouts to stay in or return to school. An average offer of US$10/month conditional on satisfactory school attendance ? plus direct payment of secondary school fees ? led to significant declines in early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and self-reported sexual activity among program beneficiaries after just one year of program implementation. For program beneficiaries who were out of school at baseline, the probability of getting married and becoming pregnant declined by more than 40 percent and 30 percent, respectively. In addition, the incidence of the onset of sexual activity was 38 percent lower among all program beneficiaries than the control group. Overall, these results suggest that conditional cash transfer programs not only serve as useful tools for improving school attendance, but may also reduce sexual activity, teen pregnancy, and early marriage.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Baird & Ephraim Chirwa & Craig McIntosh & Berk Ozler, 2009. "The Short-Term Impacts of as Schooling Cash Transfer Program on the Sexual Behavior of Young Women," Working Papers 2010-10, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:gwi:wpaper:2010-10
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. de Brauw, Alan & Peterman, Amber, 2011. "Can conditional cash transfers improve maternal health and birth outcomes? Evidence from El Salvador's Comunidades Solidarias Rurales," IFPRI discussion papers 1080, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Darwin Cortés & Juan Gallego & Darío Maldonado, 2011. "On the Design of Education Conditional Cash Transfer Programs and non Education Outcomes: The Case of Teenage Pregnancy," CESifo Working Paper Series 3531, CESifo.
    4. Abela Mpobela Agnarson & Susanne Strömdahl & Francis Levira & Honorati Masanja & Anna Ekéus Thorson, 2015. "Female-Driven Multiple Concurrent Sexual Partnership Systems in a Rural Part of a Southern Tanzanian Province," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-14, December.
    5. repec:wbk:wbpubs:12598 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Marshall Burke & Erick Gong & Kelly Jones, 2015. "Income Shocks and HIV in Africa," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 125(585), pages 1157-1189, June.
    7. Leonardo Bursztyn & Lucas C. Coffman, 2012. "The Schooling Decision: Family Preferences, Intergenerational Conflict, and Moral Hazard in the Brazilian Favelas," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 120(3), pages 359-397.
    8. Marcella M. Alsan & David M. Cutler, 2010. "Why did HIV decline in Uganda?," NBER Working Papers 16171, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. nan, 2010. "Conditional Cash Transfers in Latin America," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 978-0-8018-9498-5 edited by Adato, Michelle; Hoddinott, John, Q3.
    10. Blank, Lorraine & Mistiaen, Emma & Braithwaite, Jeanine, 2012. "Swaziland : using public transfers to reduce extreme poverty," The Social Policy and Labor Discussion Paper Series 89002, The World Bank.
    11. Yeasmin Sayeed, 2016. "Effect of girls' secondary school stipend on completed schooling, age at marriage, and age at first birth," WIDER Working Paper Series 110, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    12. Marco Sanfilippo & Bruno Martorano & Chris De Neubourg, 2012. "The Impact of Social Protection on Children: A review of the literature," Papers inwopa666, Innocenti Working Papers.
    13. Datta, Saugato & Burns, Justine & Maughan-Brown, Brendan & Darling, Matthew & Eyal, Katherine, 2015. "Risking it all for love? Resetting beliefs about HIV risk among low-income South African teens," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 184-198.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General

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