Can provision of free school uniforms harm attendance? Evidence from Ecuador
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| Publication date | 2013 |
| Journal | Journal of Development Economics |
| Volume | Issue number | 103 |
| Pages (from-to) | 43-51 |
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| Abstract | To raise school participation, many programs in developing countries eliminate or reduce private contributions to education. Using data from a randomized experiment in Ecuador, we ironically find that announcing a free school uniform program had a negative impact on attendance. The school uniforms were distributed in only 63% of the schools that were told that they would get them, thus this negative impact could have been generated by creating false expectations of free distribution, or also by a sunk cost effect on those who did actually receive the uniforms. |
| Document type | Article |
| Language | English |
| Published at |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.12.006
(Final published version)
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