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Augmenting State Capacity for Child Development: Experimental Evidence from India

Author

Listed:
  • Alejandro J. Ganimian
  • Karthik Muralidharan
  • Christopher R. Walters

Abstract

We use a large-scale randomized experiment to study the impact of augmenting staffing in the world’s largest public early-childhood program: India’s Integrated Child Development Services. Adding a worker doubled net preschool instructional time and led to increases of 0.28σ and 0.46σ in math and language test scores after 18 months for children who remained enrolled in the program and 0.13σ and 0.10σ for all children enrolled at baseline. Rates of stunting and severe malnutrition were also lower in the treatment group for children who remained enrolled. A cost-benefit analysis suggests that the benefits of augmenting staffing significantly exceed its costs. These effects are likely to replicate even at larger scales of program implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Alejandro J. Ganimian & Karthik Muralidharan & Christopher R. Walters, 2024. "Augmenting State Capacity for Child Development: Experimental Evidence from India," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(5), pages 1565-1602.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/728109
    DOI: 10.1086/728109
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    Cited by:

    1. Bos, Johannes M. & Shonchoy, Abu S. & Ravindran, Saravana & Khan, Akib, 2024. "Early childhood human capital formation at scale," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    2. Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana & Egana-delSol,Pablo & Martinez A.,Claudia, 2022. "Socioemotional Skills Development in Highly Violent Contexts : Measurements and Impacts," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9957, The World Bank.
    3. Nandi, Arindam & Sahoo, Soham & Haberland, Nicole & Ngô, Thoại D., 2023. "A glass ceiling at the playhouse? Gender gaps in public and private preschool enrollment in India," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    4. Dinarte, Lelys & Egaña del Sol, Pablo & Martínez, Claudia & Rojas Alvarado, Cindy Jacqueline, 2024. "When Emotion Regulation Matters: The Efficacy of Socio-Emotional Learning to Address School-Based Violence in Central America," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13448, Inter-American Development Bank.
    5. Abhijeet Singh & Mauricio Romero & Karthik Muralidharan, 2022. "Covid-19 Learning Loss and Recovery: Panel Data Evidence from India," CESifo Working Paper Series 10031, CESifo.
    6. Montpetit, Sébastien & Beaureard, Pierre-Loup & Carrer, Luisa, 2024. "A welfare analysis of universal childcare: Lessons from a Canadian reform," CLEF Working Paper Series 73, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
    7. Naveen Kumar & Vinitha Varghese, 2022. "Elementary education in India versus China: Guidelines for NEP implementation," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-64, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Dinarte Diaz, Lelys & Egana-delSol, Pablo & Martínez A., Claudia & Rojas A., Cindy, 2024. "When Emotion Regulation Matters: The Efficacy of Socio-Emotional Learning to Address School-Based Violence in Central America," IZA Discussion Papers 16831, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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