Food for Thought? Experimental Evidence on the Learning Impacts of a Large-Scale School Feeding Program

There is limited experimental evidence on the effects of large-scale, government-led interventions on human capital in resource-constrained settings. We report results from a randomized trial of the government of Ghana's school feeding. After two years, the program led to moderate average incre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of human resources 2023, Vol.58 (1), p.74-111
Main Authors: Aurino, Elisabetta, Gelli, Aulo, Adamba, Clement, Osei-Akoto, Isaac, Alderman, Harold
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accumulation
Capital formation
Childrens health
Cognition
Disadvantaged
Food programs
Government
Human capital
Intervention
Learning
Nutrition
Social capital
Social protection
Students
Sustainable development
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:There is limited experimental evidence on the effects of large-scale, government-led interventions on human capital in resource-constrained settings. We report results from a randomized trial of the government of Ghana's school feeding. After two years, the program led to moderate average increases in math and literacy standardized scores among pupils in treatment communities and to larger achievement gains for girls and disadvantaged children and regions. Improvements in child schooling, cognition, and nutrition constituted suggestive impact mechanisms, especially for educationally disadvantaged groups. The program combined equitable human capital accumulation with social protection, contributing to the "learning for all" sustainable development agenda.
ISSN:0022-166X
1548-8004
DOI:10.3368/jhr.58.3.1019-10515R1