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Conditional cash transfers and education quality in the presence of credit constraints

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  • Del Rey, Elena
  • Estevan, Fernanda

Abstract

We investigate the relative merits of unconditional cash transfers (UCT), conditional cash transfers (CCT), and the effects of improvements in education quality on efficiency and welfare. In our setting, some parents underinvest in their children's education because capital market imperfections prevent them from borrowing. Under sufficiently accurate targeting, CCT are more effective than UCT in enhancing the efficiency of these households’ decisions. However, UCT is superior to CCT in terms of welfare unless targeting is perfect, in which case UCT and CCT are equivalent. Education quality is welfare improving, but may not be efficiency enhancing when public education quality is very low.

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  • Del Rey, Elena & Estevan, Fernanda, 2013. "Conditional cash transfers and education quality in the presence of credit constraints," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 76-84.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:34:y:2013:i:c:p:76-84
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2013.01.006
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    Cited by:

    1. Kitaura, Koji & Miyazawa, Kazutoshi, 2021. "Inequality and conditionality in cash transfers: Demographic transition and economic development," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 276-287.
    2. Del Rey, Elena & Estevan, Fernanda, 2013. "Conditional cash transfers and education quality in the presence of credit constraints," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 76-84.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Conditional cash transfers; Public education; Education quality; Unconditional cash transfers; Credit constraint; Efficiency; Welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household
    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development

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