Experimental evidence on scaling up education reforms in Kenya

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bold, Tessa; Kimenyi, Mwangi; Mwabu, Germano; Ng'ang'a, Alice; Sandefur, Justin
• 署名单位: Stockholm University; University of Nairobi; Strathmore University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.08.007
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 1-20
• 关键词: education; kenya; Contract teachers; Randomized evaluation; External validity; state capacity

摘要

What constraints arise when translating successful NGO programs to improve public services in developing countries into government policy? We report on a randomized trial embedded within a nationwide reform of teacher hiring in Kenyan government primary schools. New teachers offered a fixed-term contract by an international NGO significantly raised student test scores, while teachers offered identical contracts by the Kenyan government produced zero impact. Observable differences in teacher characteristics explain little of this gap. Instead, data suggests that bureaucratic and political opposition to the contract reform led to implementation delays and a differential interpretation of identical contract terms. Additionally, contract features that produced larger learning gains in both the NGO and government treatment arms were not adopted by the government outside of the experimental sample. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.