Increasing College Going by Incentivizing Savings: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Italy

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Martini, Alberto; Azzolini, Davide; Romano, Barbara; Vergolini, Loris
• 署名单位: University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro; Fondazione Bruno Kessler; FBK-IRVAPP - Research Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1520-6756
• DOI: 10.1002/pam.22260
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 814-+
• 关键词: child-development accounts; financial-aid; educational expectations; university dropout; cost-effectiveness; student aid; access; enrollment; attainment; IMPACT

摘要

We estimate the impact of a matched savings account program on high school students' college enrollment and persistence through a randomized controlled trial carried out in Italy. The tested program (Percorsi) provided low-income high school students with a 4:1 match rate for savings dedicated to higher education expenditures and required that they attended financial education classes. The program increased rates of enrollment and persistence in university by about nine percentage points. Effects were even larger for vocational school students, who have poorer social backgrounds and lower academic preparation. Incentivized savings programs have potential to reduce social disparities in higher education participation, though the lower saving capacity of poorer households can generate regressivity in program design.