Too Close to Use: Social visibility, stigma, and the paradox of learning support programs

Shinsuke Asakawa, Mayuko Abe, Fumio Ohtake, Shinpei Sano and Kazuko Nakata

Discussion papers from Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)

Abstract: This study identified a paradoxical phenomenon in learning support programs for low-income household children: while these programs effectively enhance skills, proximity to home hinders participation. Using an administrative panel dataset from Amagasaki City, Japan, we estimated a probit model to analyze participatory behavior, and employed a treatment effect model to evaluate the program's impact on skill development and its underlying mechanisms. Our findings are twofold. First, locating classrooms within a student’s own school district significantly reduces the probability of participation. This is not due to physical distance but rather “welfare stigma,†as children fear their socioeconomic status becoming known to classmates. Second, while no average effect was found across all participants, students with high attendance and long-term participation showed significant increases in arithmetic/mathematics and Japanese language scores, driven by an increase of study hours. These results reveal a critical policy trade-off: accessibility can inadvertently increase social visibility and discourage uptake.

Pages: 53 pages
Date: 2026-04
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eti:dpaper:26028

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