A critical part of IPA's mission is to disseminate information about effective solutions and to replicate these solutions in appropriate settings. By using randomized controlled trials as a tool for evaluating poverty interventions we are able to identify which interventions are truly successful in improving the lives of the poor. With each additional evaluation in a broader range of locations, and as we collect evidence over longer time horizons, we can make even more sound prescriptions for policy around the world.
Education reduced HIV/AIDS risks among young adolescents in Kenya
HIV/AIDS is one of the most important issues facing sub-Saharan
Africa. We conducted a randomized evaluation comparing three
school-based HIV/AIDS interventions in Kenya aimed at reducing risky
behavior among young adolescents in primary schools.
We found that in the treatment group where teachers had been trained in
HIV education, girls were more likely to be married to the fathers of
their children. Another intervention that guided students in writing
essays and having debates about safe sex increased practical knowledge
and self-reported use of condoms without increasing self-reported
sexual activity. A third intervention that reduced the cost of
education (by paying for school uniforms) reduced school dropout rates,
and thus decreased both teen marriage and teen childbearing.
Making a commitment helped people to save more in the Philippines
We pioneered a simple commitment savings product through a microfinance bank, Green Bank, in the Philippines and found that it had a big impact on helping low-income banking clients save more. We offered the product, which allowed clients to withdraw funds only after they had reached a defined savings goal, to a randomly chosen group of the bank’s clients in the Philippines. Of those that were offered the product, almost a third decided to open such an account.
After six months, average bank account savings increased by 47 percentage points more in the treatment group than in the control group, and those who opened the account increased savings by 130.7 percentage points. After twelve months, the savings increases were an impressive 82.5 percent and 180.7 percentage points, respectively. Clients were pleased that the product helped them to achieve their savings goals, and the product is has become part of Green Bank’s regular offerings.
Simple recording of teachers’ presence in the classroom improved learning in rural India
Teacher absenteeism is high in developing countries. Getting
teachers to come to class is an essential first step in improving the
quality of education in developing countries. We pioneered a monitoring
and salary incentives program which reduced teacher absence and
improved educational outcomes for children. The program used a simple
unbiased monitoring system that teachers understood. Teachers took a
picture of themselves and the students at the beginning and end of each
day, after a base salary the teachers received bonuses based on the
numbers of days they showed up.
We found that teacher absenteeism decreased from an average of 43
percent in the comparison schools to 24 percent in the treatment
schools. Furthermore, a year after the start of the program, test
scores in program schools were 0.17 standard deviations higher than in
the comparison schools and children were 43 percent more likely to
enroll in the next level of school. The NGO has adopted the system in
all their schools and is still using it now.
Entrepreneurship training improved the success of microcredit in Peru
IPA worked with FINCA-Peru, a group-lending microfinance institution, to study the impact of offering an entrepreneurship training program, designed by Freedom From Hunger, to female microentrepreneurs in Peru. We randomly selected a subset of lending groups and integrated the training into their normal weekly credit meetings.
The training had a positive impact on outcomes for both the microfinance institution and their clients. After the training, clients had better knowledge of business practices and their revenues increased. The training had a particularly large impact on improving the revenues during slow months, and thus eased hard times for poor clients. The program also improved repayment and client retention rates for the microfinance institution, which lowers costs for the organization—making it profitable for them to offer the training free of charge.
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