Conditional Cash Transfers and Female Schooling

Abstract

The impact of gender targeted Conditional Cash Transfers on female enrollment rates within Punjab, Pakistan.
 
The paper explores the impact of stipend policy on female enrollment rates within Punjab, Pakistan by drawing on net growth in female enrollment rates in grade 6-8. The data is based on panel of schools that were constructed before (2003) and after (2005) the stipend program and is generated from provincial Education Management Information Systems (EMIS). Impact evaluation methodology including difference-and-difference (DD), triple differencing (DDD) and regression-discontinuity design (RDD) reveal that stipend has a positive impact on enrollment rates; although the impact is only modest with a 6% increase in absolute terms and 9% increase in relative terms. Apart from statistical analysis, the study also conducts a trend analysis from cross sectional household surveys and findings indicate that stipend impacts female enrollment by 10-13% within the age group of 10-14 year old. The stipend program allows children from poor people to attend school and results reveal that incidence of stipend is equitable amongst the masses. Overall analysis suggests that gender targeted Conditional Cash Transfer (CCTs) in form of stipend has proven to be successful in achieving the desired impact on female enrollment rate.

Publishing Year: 2006

Attached File:

wps4102.pdf - Download