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Ten Years of Relational Power: The Long-Run Effects of Teaching Negotiation Skills to Adolescent Girls

Author

Listed:
  • Nava Ashraf
  • Natalie Bau
  • Corinne Low
  • Xiaoyue Shan

Abstract

We evaluate the effects of teaching negotiation skills to adolescent girls in economically vulnerable compounds in Lusaka, Zambia ten years later. Treated participants complete 0.23 more years of education. Consistent with greater relational empowerment, they also begin sexual activity later, have smaller age gaps with their husbands, and express less traditional gender attitudes. Using a surrogate approach, social benefits and costs from increased education alone suggest the intervention generated 6.6 dollars for every dollar spent and had a very high marginal value of public funds of 9.0.

Suggested Citation

  • Nava Ashraf & Natalie Bau & Corinne Low & Xiaoyue Shan, 2025. "Ten Years of Relational Power: The Long-Run Effects of Teaching Negotiation Skills to Adolescent Girls," NBER Working Papers 34339, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34339
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    1. Bramucci, Francesca & Munoz Boudet, Ana Maria & Viollaz, Mariana, 2025. "Promoting Women’s Leadership : What Works, What Doesn’t, and What’s Missing," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11239, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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