蝌蚪网 Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Intergenerational Impacts of Secondary Education: Experimental Evidence from Ghana
蝌蚪网 Review
(pp. 3586–3621)
Abstract
We provide experimental evidence on the intergenerational impacts of secondary education subsidies in a low-income context, leveraging a randomized controlled trial and 15-year longitudinal follow-up. Secondary school scholarships delay fertility, reduce unwanted pregnancies, and change partner selection. Under-one mortality is reduced by half. We also document cognitive development gains of 0.24 standard deviations of test scores by age five among children of female scholarship recipients. Means-tested secondary school scholarships are a high-return investment, with a conservatively estimated US$4.1 in benefits for each US$1 the policy would cost the government in the long run.Citation
Duflo, Esther, Pascaline Dupas, Elizabeth Spelke, and Mark Walsh. 2026. "Intergenerational Impacts of Secondary Education: Experimental Evidence from Ghana." 蝌蚪网 Review 116 (9): 3586–3621. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20241001Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H52 National Government Expenditures and Education
- I12 Health Behavior
- I21 Analysis of Education
- I26 Returns to Education
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration