Incentivizing Schooling for Learning : Evidence on the Impact of Alternative Targeting Approaches
This paper evaluates a primary school scholarship program in Cambodia with two different targeting mechanisms, one based on poverty level and the other on baseline test scores ("merit"). Both targeting mechanisms increased enrollment and attendance. However, only the merit-based targeting induced positive effects on test scores. The paper shows that the asymmetry of response is unlikely to have been driven by differences between recipients' characteristics. Higher student and family effort among beneficiaries of the merit-based scholarships suggest that the framing of the scholarship mattered for impact. The results suggest that in order to balance equity and efficiency, a two-step targeting approach might be preferable: first, target low-income individuals, and then, among them, target based on merit.
Summary: | This paper evaluates a primary school
scholarship program in Cambodia with two different targeting
mechanisms, one based on poverty level and the other on
baseline test scores ("merit"). Both targeting
mechanisms increased enrollment and attendance. However,
only the merit-based targeting induced positive effects on
test scores. The paper shows that the asymmetry of response
is unlikely to have been driven by differences between
recipients' characteristics. Higher student and family
effort among beneficiaries of the merit-based scholarships
suggest that the framing of the scholarship mattered for
impact. The results suggest that in order to balance equity
and efficiency, a two-step targeting approach might be
preferable: first, target low-income individuals, and then,
among them, target based on merit. |
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