Keeping Girls in Schools Longer: The Kanyashree Approach in India

Gitanjali Sen and Dhanushka Thamarapani

Feminist Economics, 2023, vol. 29, issue 4, 36-64

Abstract: Regarding interventions aimed at preventing girls from prematurely dropping out of schools, this study shows that inducing economic empowerment of girls is possible with targeted policies that promote their reproductive empowerment. Using Kanyashree Prakalpa, a conditional cash transfer program implemented in West Bengal, India, that directly incentivized school attendance to delay child marriage, the study finds a strong association between program participation and successfully lowering the historically higher dropout rates post-middle school. Program-eligible girls are 12 percent (7 percent) more likely to be enrolled in or to complete secondary (higher secondary) school, respectively. Program participation is associated with approximately five more months of education. In fact, the efficacy of the program is highly correlated with the length of exposure, and the most benefits are reaped by children in the poorest households. The article discusses three policy interventions, including directly targeting girls as they transition from childhood to young adulthood.HIGHLIGHTSIn West Bengal, Kanyashree Prakalpa, a unique cash incentive program, links educational empowerment with girls’ reproductive empowerment.Program participation is strongly associated with successfully lowering the historically higher dropout rates post-middle school.Policies directly targeting adolescent girls are fruitful compared to indirect influence.Policies complementing the cash transfer with other programs based on the girls’ academic achievement are useful.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/13545701.2023.2263542 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: Keeping Girls in Schools Longer: The Kanyashree Approach in India (2022)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:femeco:v:29:y:2023:i:4:p:36-64

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/RFEC20

DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2023.2263542

Access Statistics for this article

Feminist Economics is currently edited by Diana Strassmann

More articles in Feminist Economics from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().