The long term impacts of grants on poverty: 9-year evidence from Uganda's Youth Opportunities Program

Christopher Blattman, Nathan Fiala and Sebastian Martinez

No 802, Ruhr Economic Papers from RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen

Abstract: In 2008, Uganda granted hundreds of small groups $400/person to help members start individual skilled trades. Four years on, an experimental evaluation found grants raised earnings by 38% (Blattman, Fiala, Martinez 2014). We return after 9 years to find these start-up grants raised earnings and consumption temporarily only. Grantees' investment leveled off; controls eventually increased their incomes through business and casual labor; and so both groups converged in employment, earnings, and consumption. Grants had lasting impacts on assets, skilled work, and possibly child health, but had little effect on mortality, fertility, health or education.

Keywords: employment; poverty; entrepreneurship; cash transfers; occupational choice; Uganda; field experiment; labor market programs; health; education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D13 J24 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-ent, nep-exp and nep-lma
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Long Term Impacts of Grants on Poverty: 9-year Evidence From Uganda's Youth Opportunities Program (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:rwirep:802

DOI: 10.4419/86788930

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