American Economic Journal:
Applied Economics
ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)
Bringing Education to Afghan Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Village-Based Schools
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 5,
no. 3, July 2013
(pp. 27–40)
Abstract
We conduct a randomized evaluation of the effect of village-based schools on children's academic performance using a sample of 31 villages and 1,490 children in rural northwestern Afghanistan. The program significantly increases enrollment and test scores among all children, but particularly for girls. Girls' enrollment increases by 52 percentage points and their average test scores increase by 0.65 standard deviations. The effect is large enough that it eliminates the gender gap in enrollment and dramatically reduces differences in test scores. Boys' enrollment increases by 35 percentage points, and average test scores increase by 0.40 standard deviations.Citation
Burde, Dana, and Leigh L. Linden. 2013. "Bringing Education to Afghan Girls: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Village-Based Schools." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 5 (3): 27–40. DOI: 10.1257/app.5.3.27Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I21 Analysis of Education
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure