Early childhood human capital formation at scale

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bos, Johannes M.; Shonchoy, Abu S.; Ravindran, Saravana; Khan, Akib
• 署名单位: American Institutes for Research; State University System of Florida; Florida International University; National University of Singapore; Uppsala University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.105046
• 发表日期: 2024
• 关键词: Early childhood development; human capital formation; bangladesh

摘要

Can governments leverage existing service -delivery platforms to scale early childhood development (ECD) interventions? We experimentally study a large-scale, low-cost home -visiting intervention - providing materials and counseling - integrated into Bangladesh's national nutrition program without extra financial incentives for service providers (SPs). We find SPs partially substitute away from nutritional to ECD counseling. Intent -to -treat estimates show positive impacts on child's cognition (0.17 SD), language (0.23 SD), and socio-emotional scores (0.12-0.14 SD). Wasting and underweight rates decline. Older siblings' primary school attendance increases as well. Improved maternal agency, complementary parental investments, and higher take-up of the pre-existing nutrition program are important mechanisms. We estimate a sizeable internal rate -of -return of 18.9%.