Does the Provision of Universal Free School Meals Improve School Attendance and Behaviour?

Daniel Borbely, Markus Gehrsitz (), Stuart McIntyre () and Gennaro Rossi
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Markus Gehrsitz: Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde
Stuart McIntyre: Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde
Gennaro Rossi: Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde

No 22-5, Working Papers from University of Strathclyde Business School, Department of Economics

Abstract: The importance of universal free school meals (UFSM) provision has been the subject of significant debate over the past decade. In this study we examine the effect of UFSM policies on school attendance, health-related absence and students’ misbehaviour. We leverage UFSM implementation in Scotland where all pupils in the first three grades of primary schools became automatically entitled to claim free meals, regardless of their households’ financial circumstances. We estimate a difference-in-differences model with variation in treatment intensity and find, in spite of a large increase in uptakes, that attendance and school discipline have not improved significantly. These estimates are close to zero and precisely estimated. We also show that effect heterogeneity does not explain the null effect.

Keywords: Attendance; Behaviour; School Meals; Welfare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H51 H52 I18 I28 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: pages
Date: 2022-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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