The 10 Least Effective Interventions to Improve Access to Education for Girls
| . | Program description . | Country . | Region . | Evaluation design . | Level of school . | Outcome . | Effect size (SD) . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School canteen | Burkina Faso | SSA | RCT | Primary and secondary (ages 6–15) | Absenteeism | –0.200 |
| *Conditional take-home rations for girls (Kazianga et al. 2012) | Absenteeism | –0.182 | |||||
| 2* | Unconditional cash transfer to girls (Baird, McIntosh, and Özler 2011) | Malawi | SSA | RCT | Primary | Attendance, Yr2 | –0.152 |
| 3 | Early financial commitment (Yi et al. 2015) | China | EAP | RCT | Secondary | Dropout | –0.1401 |
| 4* | Hygiene promotion + water treatment (Garn et al. 2013) | Kenya | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment | –0.138 |
| 5 | School meal (Afridi 2011) | India | SA | DID | Primary | Enrollment | –0.120 |
| 6 | Education cash saving account with parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Uganda | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment Y1 | –0.110 |
| Attendance overall | –0.107 | ||||||
| Enrollment Y2 | –0.107 | ||||||
| Education cash saving account without parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Enrollment Y1 | –0.049 | |||||
| 7 | Conditional cash transfer (Chaudhury, Friedman, and Onishi 2013) | Philippines | EAP | RCT | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–14) | Enrolled in school 15–17 yrs | –0.098 |
| 8* | Sanitary products (Oster and Thornton 2011) | Nepal | SA | RCT | Secondary | Attendance | –0.083 |
| 9 | Conditional cash transfer (Amarante, Ferrando, and Vigorito 2013) | Uruguay | LAC | DID | Secondary | School attendance, 18-month follow up | –0.056 |
| School attendance, 30-month follow up | –0.047 | ||||||
| 10 | Unconditional Cash Transfer (Santana 2008) | South Africa | SSA | DID | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–13) | Attendance | –0.043 |
| . | Program description . | Country . | Region . | Evaluation design . | Level of school . | Outcome . | Effect size (SD) . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School canteen | Burkina Faso | SSA | RCT | Primary and secondary (ages 6–15) | Absenteeism | –0.200 |
| *Conditional take-home rations for girls (Kazianga et al. 2012) | Absenteeism | –0.182 | |||||
| 2* | Unconditional cash transfer to girls (Baird, McIntosh, and Özler 2011) | Malawi | SSA | RCT | Primary | Attendance, Yr2 | –0.152 |
| 3 | Early financial commitment (Yi et al. 2015) | China | EAP | RCT | Secondary | Dropout | –0.1401 |
| 4* | Hygiene promotion + water treatment (Garn et al. 2013) | Kenya | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment | –0.138 |
| 5 | School meal (Afridi 2011) | India | SA | DID | Primary | Enrollment | –0.120 |
| 6 | Education cash saving account with parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Uganda | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment Y1 | –0.110 |
| Attendance overall | –0.107 | ||||||
| Enrollment Y2 | –0.107 | ||||||
| Education cash saving account without parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Enrollment Y1 | –0.049 | |||||
| 7 | Conditional cash transfer (Chaudhury, Friedman, and Onishi 2013) | Philippines | EAP | RCT | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–14) | Enrolled in school 15–17 yrs | –0.098 |
| 8* | Sanitary products (Oster and Thornton 2011) | Nepal | SA | RCT | Secondary | Attendance | –0.083 |
| 9 | Conditional cash transfer (Amarante, Ferrando, and Vigorito 2013) | Uruguay | LAC | DID | Secondary | School attendance, 18-month follow up | –0.056 |
| School attendance, 30-month follow up | –0.047 | ||||||
| 10 | Unconditional Cash Transfer (Santana 2008) | South Africa | SSA | DID | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–13) | Attendance | –0.043 |
Source: Authors’ calculations based on cited works.
*Girl-targeted interventions.
1Adjusted negative value for comparison.
The 10 Least Effective Interventions to Improve Access to Education for Girls
| . | Program description . | Country . | Region . | Evaluation design . | Level of school . | Outcome . | Effect size (SD) . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School canteen | Burkina Faso | SSA | RCT | Primary and secondary (ages 6–15) | Absenteeism | –0.200 |
| *Conditional take-home rations for girls (Kazianga et al. 2012) | Absenteeism | –0.182 | |||||
| 2* | Unconditional cash transfer to girls (Baird, McIntosh, and Özler 2011) | Malawi | SSA | RCT | Primary | Attendance, Yr2 | –0.152 |
| 3 | Early financial commitment (Yi et al. 2015) | China | EAP | RCT | Secondary | Dropout | –0.1401 |
| 4* | Hygiene promotion + water treatment (Garn et al. 2013) | Kenya | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment | –0.138 |
| 5 | School meal (Afridi 2011) | India | SA | DID | Primary | Enrollment | –0.120 |
| 6 | Education cash saving account with parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Uganda | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment Y1 | –0.110 |
| Attendance overall | –0.107 | ||||||
| Enrollment Y2 | –0.107 | ||||||
| Education cash saving account without parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Enrollment Y1 | –0.049 | |||||
| 7 | Conditional cash transfer (Chaudhury, Friedman, and Onishi 2013) | Philippines | EAP | RCT | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–14) | Enrolled in school 15–17 yrs | –0.098 |
| 8* | Sanitary products (Oster and Thornton 2011) | Nepal | SA | RCT | Secondary | Attendance | –0.083 |
| 9 | Conditional cash transfer (Amarante, Ferrando, and Vigorito 2013) | Uruguay | LAC | DID | Secondary | School attendance, 18-month follow up | –0.056 |
| School attendance, 30-month follow up | –0.047 | ||||||
| 10 | Unconditional Cash Transfer (Santana 2008) | South Africa | SSA | DID | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–13) | Attendance | –0.043 |
| . | Program description . | Country . | Region . | Evaluation design . | Level of school . | Outcome . | Effect size (SD) . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School canteen | Burkina Faso | SSA | RCT | Primary and secondary (ages 6–15) | Absenteeism | –0.200 |
| *Conditional take-home rations for girls (Kazianga et al. 2012) | Absenteeism | –0.182 | |||||
| 2* | Unconditional cash transfer to girls (Baird, McIntosh, and Özler 2011) | Malawi | SSA | RCT | Primary | Attendance, Yr2 | –0.152 |
| 3 | Early financial commitment (Yi et al. 2015) | China | EAP | RCT | Secondary | Dropout | –0.1401 |
| 4* | Hygiene promotion + water treatment (Garn et al. 2013) | Kenya | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment | –0.138 |
| 5 | School meal (Afridi 2011) | India | SA | DID | Primary | Enrollment | –0.120 |
| 6 | Education cash saving account with parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Uganda | SSA | RCT | Primary | Enrollment Y1 | –0.110 |
| Attendance overall | –0.107 | ||||||
| Enrollment Y2 | –0.107 | ||||||
| Education cash saving account without parent outreach (Karlan and Leiden 2014) | Enrollment Y1 | –0.049 | |||||
| 7 | Conditional cash transfer (Chaudhury, Friedman, and Onishi 2013) | Philippines | EAP | RCT | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–14) | Enrolled in school 15–17 yrs | –0.098 |
| 8* | Sanitary products (Oster and Thornton 2011) | Nepal | SA | RCT | Secondary | Attendance | –0.083 |
| 9 | Conditional cash transfer (Amarante, Ferrando, and Vigorito 2013) | Uruguay | LAC | DID | Secondary | School attendance, 18-month follow up | –0.056 |
| School attendance, 30-month follow up | –0.047 | ||||||
| 10 | Unconditional Cash Transfer (Santana 2008) | South Africa | SSA | DID | Early childhood + primary (ages 0–13) | Attendance | –0.043 |
Source: Authors’ calculations based on cited works.
*Girl-targeted interventions.
1Adjusted negative value for comparison.
This PDF is available to Subscribers Only
View Article Abstract & Purchase OptionsFor full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.
