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School Uniforms, Short-Run Participation, and Long-Run Outcomes: Evidence from Kenya

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  • David K Evans
  • Mũthoni Ngatia

Abstract

In recent decades, the number of evaluated interventions to improve access to school has multiplied, but few studies report long-term impacts. This paper reports the impact of an educational intervention that provided school uniforms to children in poor communities in Kenya. The program used a lottery to determine who would receive a school uniform. Receiving a uniform reduced school absenteeism by 37 percent for the average student (7 percentage points) and by 55 percent for children who initially had no uniform (15 percentage points). Eight years after the program began, there is no evidence of sustained impact of the program on highest grade completed or primary school completion rates. A bounding exercise suggests no substantive positive, long-term impacts. These results contribute to a small literature on the long-run impacts of educational interventions and demonstrate the risk of initial impacts depreciating over time.

Suggested Citation

  • David K Evans & Mũthoni Ngatia, 2021. "School Uniforms, Short-Run Participation, and Long-Run Outcomes: Evidence from Kenya," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(3), pages 705-719.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:35:y:2021:i:3:p:705-719.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/wber/lhaa004
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    Cited by:

    1. Evans, David K. & Mendez Acosta, Amina, 2023. "How to measure student absenteeism in low- and middle-income countries," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    2. Charu Jain & Ruchi Jain, 2023. "Chronic Absenteeism and Its Impact on the Learning Outcomes of Primary Grade Students in India," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 17(1-2), pages 124-162, February.

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