Policies for Aspirations. And Opportunities
Policy interventions that foster aspirations, such as those using role models, are increasingly being implemented so that students, women, microentrepreneurs, farmers, and poor individuals can achieve untapped opportunities. Several of these interventions have successfully enhanced educational achievements, labor market participation, and business activities. However, raising the aspirations of individuals when they do not have opportunities to realize them can generate frustration and make them worse off. This paper argues that effective policy interventions need to account for both aspirations and opportunities and proposes a framework to consider both elements. The paper highlights how addressing either element in isolation can lead to unfavorable outcomes, such as falling into an aspiration trap (when low aspirations prevent people from seizing available opportunities), experiencing frustration (when aspirations are enhanced without matching opportunities), or remaining in a poverty trap (when both aspirations and opportunities are low). The paper discusses various policy approaches to raising aspirations and opportunities in light of these scenarios and the challenges of aligning the two elements.
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2024-06-04
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Subjects: | ASPIRATIONS, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, POVERTY, GENDER, NO POVERTY, SDG 1, QUALITY EDUCATION, SDG 4, GENDER EQUALITY, SDG 5, DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, SDG 8, EDUCATION AND INEQUALITY, HUMAN CAPITAL, CULTURAL ECONOMICS, |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099345506042430055/IDU192123c181b7581448d1903110eb852951475 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/41656 |
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Summary: | Policy interventions that foster
aspirations, such as those using role models, are
increasingly being implemented so that students, women,
microentrepreneurs, farmers, and poor individuals can
achieve untapped opportunities. Several of these
interventions have successfully enhanced educational
achievements, labor market participation, and business
activities. However, raising the aspirations of individuals
when they do not have opportunities to realize them can
generate frustration and make them worse off. This paper
argues that effective policy interventions need to account
for both aspirations and opportunities and proposes a
framework to consider both elements. The paper highlights
how addressing either element in isolation can lead to
unfavorable outcomes, such as falling into an aspiration
trap (when low aspirations prevent people from seizing
available opportunities), experiencing frustration (when
aspirations are enhanced without matching opportunities), or
remaining in a poverty trap (when both aspirations and
opportunities are low). The paper discusses various policy
approaches to raising aspirations and opportunities in light
of these scenarios and the challenges of aligning the two elements. |
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