Imperial College London

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Working Paper

How much are multisectoral programs worth? A new method with an application to school meals

2021Alderman, Harold; Aurino, Elisabetta; Baffour, Priscilla Twumasi; Gelli, Aulo; Turkson, Festus; Wong, Brad

Details

How much are multisectoral programs worth? A new method with an application to school meals

Social protection programs such as cash or food transfers support current poverty and inequality reduction goals, while at the same time enhance future productivity through human capital investments. Yet, the quantification of their overall productivity and equity benefits is challenging. We address this question utilizing a new methodology that quantifies productivity gains from learning as well as an approach for assessing social protection benefits. We do so by combining data on distributional benefits stemming from current poverty reduction in conjunction with future human capital gains in the context of a large-scale national school feeding program in Ghana. We develop a straightforward approach to map effect sizes from randomized controlled studies into broader economic analyses. In addition, we include the often recognized, but seldom quantified, distributional impacts of multi-sectoral investments. Our methodology is relevant to a broad range of social protection programs that have multidimensional benefits spanning both human capital improvements and equity gains.

Year published

2021

Authors

Alderman, Harold; Aurino, Elisabetta; Baffour, Priscilla Twumasi; Gelli, Aulo; Turkson, Festus; Wong, Brad

Citation

Alderman, Harold; Aurino, Elisabetta; Baffour, Priscilla Twumasi; Gelli, Aulo; Turkson, Festus; and Wong, Brad. 2021. How much are multisectoral programs worth? A new method with an application to school meals. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2060. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134805.

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Africa; Education; Child Nutrition; School Feeding; Social Protection; Fiscal Policies; Nutrition; Cash Transfers; Project Evaluation

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134805 Source record

Project

Agriculture for Nutrition and Health

Record type

Working Paper

Food for thought? Experimental evidence on the learning impacts of a large-scale school feeding program in Ghana

2018Aurino, Elisabetta; Gelli, Aulo; Adamba, Clement; Osei-Akoto, Isaac; Alderman, Harold

Details

Food for thought? Experimental evidence on the learning impacts of a large-scale school feeding program in Ghana

There is very limited experimental evidence of the impact of large-scale, government-led school meals programs on child educational achievements in Sub-Saharan Africa. We address this gap by reporting treatment effects from a nationwide randomized trial of the Government of Ghana’s school feeding program (GSFP) on children’s math and literacy, cognition (problem-solving ability and working memory), and composite scores of overall attainments. Based on the government’s plans to re-target and scale up the GSFP, food insecure schools and related communities across the country were randomly assigned to school feeding. After two years of implementation, program availability led to moderate increases in test scores for the average pupil in school catchment areas, ranging between 0.12 and 0.16 standard deviations. Analysis focusing on per-protocol population subgroups unveiled substantial heterogeneity: school feeding led to remarkable learning and cognitive gains for girls, poorest children, and children from the northern regions. Program effects were at least twice as large as for the average child. Increases in enrolment, grade attainment, and shifts in time use toward schooling time constituted potential mechanisms for impact. We conclude the program combined social protection with equitable human capital accumulation, thus contributing to the imperative of “learning for all” set in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Year published

2018

Authors

Aurino, Elisabetta; Gelli, Aulo; Adamba, Clement; Osei-Akoto, Isaac; Alderman, Harold

Citation

Aurino, Elisabetta; Gelli, Aulo; Adamba, Clement; Osei-Akoto, Isaac; and Alderman, Harold. 2018. Food for thought? Experimental evidence on the learning impacts of a large-scale school feeding program in Ghana. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1782. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147004

Country/Region

Ghana

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; School Feeding; Field Experimentation; Random Sampling; Learning; Primary Education; Capacity Development; Mental Ability; Child Feeding; Experimental Design

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open Access

Source

Source record

Record type

Working Paper

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Imperial College London

How much are multisectoral programs worth? A new method with an application to school meals

How much are multisectoral programs worth? A new method with an application to school meals

Food for thought? Experimental evidence on the learning impacts of a large-scale school feeding program in Ghana

Food for thought? Experimental evidence on the learning impacts of a large-scale school feeding program in Ghana