Learning and earning: Evidence from a randomized evaluation in India

Pushkar Maitra and Subha Mani

Labour Economics, 2017, vol. 45, issue C, 116-130

Abstract: Our paper presents the economic returns from participating in a subsidized vocational education program for women residing in low-income households in India. We combine pre-intervention data with two rounds of post-intervention data in an experimental framework to quantify the 6- and 18-month treatment effects of the program. The 6-month treatment effects indicate that women who were offered the vocational education program are 6% points more likely to be employed, 4% points more likely to be self-employed, work 2.5 additional hours per week, and earn 150% more per month than women in the control group. Using a second round of follow-up data collected 18 months after the intervention, we find that the 6-month treatment effects are all sustained over the medium run. Finally, cost-benefit analysis indicates that the program costs can be recovered with less than four years of employment. Overall our findings suggest that vocational education may serve to be a promising avenue through which young women can contribute to their household welfare.

Keywords: Vocational education; India; Economic returns; Field experiment; Panel data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 J19 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (45)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Learning and Earning: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in India (2014)
Working Paper: Learning and Earning: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in India (2013)
Working Paper: Learning and Earning: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in India (2013)
Working Paper: Learning and Earning: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in India (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:45:y:2017:i:c:p:116-130

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2016.11.007

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