trial, not error

T H E J A M E E L A B D U L L A T I F P O V E R T Y A C T I O N L A B • W W W. P O V E R T YA C T I O N L A B . O R G / M D G

Some of the best buys in development are far from obvious. Who would’ve thought that deworming would be a better investment for education than providing more teachers? Without rigourous tests, results like this might never have been revealed. To make development work more effective, we need to ask questions about what really works, we need to experiment to learn, and we need scientific evidence to sort out the facts from anecdotes. The best way to prove how well a program works is to run a randomized evaluation. That’s how scientist show whether a drug or vaccine is effective, why not use the same rigorous methods to tackle the problems faced by the world’s poorest people?

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mass, school-based deworming

the price is wrong

quotas for women

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An estimated 400 million children across the world are infected with intestinal worms that cause diarrhea, anemia and exhaustion. If children are constantly sick, they miss school more often and so they lose out on the opportunities that come with education. Mass deworming programs, based in schools, provide a cheap answer. Regular treatment for worms can reduce a pupil’s absenteeism by 25 percent at a cost of just 50 cents per child, per year.

MDG1 - eradicate hunger, MDG2 - achieve universal primary education

When India’s government declared that a third of communities must have a woman leader, these communities spent more on things that women cared about, like clean water. Water quality and quantity improved, but voters still didn’t believe women could do as good a job as men. But once women got a chance to prove themselves, those perceptions started to change. Quotas for women cost practically nothing and help overcome a bias against women leaders.

MDG3 - promote gender equality, MDG7 - ensure access to safe drinking water

One million people die from malaria every year and eight hundred thousand of them are African children. Bed nets treated with insecticide can dramatically curb the spread of the disease, but too few buy them. Abolishing the already subsidized price of 75 cents raises take-up by women in maternity clinics fourfold and is a hugely effective way to improve maternal and child health.

MDG4 - reduce child mortality, MDG5 - improve maternal health,

MDG6 - reduce incidence of malaria

incentives for immunization

back to basics

mind the gap

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Vaccines are among the most cost-effective health strategies available and many countries provide them for free. Yet there are areas with very low coverage. Offering small incentives—such as a bag of lentils per shot—can dramatically improve take up from 5 to 35 percent—and is a tiny price to pay for the immense benefits of vaccines. By encouraging more families to attend immunization clinics, these incentives can actually reduce the cost per child.

MDG4 - reduce child mortality

More than 4 million people become infected with HIV every year, but there is a way to curb the spread of HIV among teenagers by reducing the number of girls who sleep with older men. Informing them that men in their 20’s or older are more likely to have HIV than younger men can cut the number of pregnancies by 65 percent, with no increase in pregnancies with younger men. This helps girls stay free of HIV, halts the spread of the virus, and costs just a dollar per student.

MDG6 -halt spread of HIV

Even when children go to school, many end up learning virtually nothing. Schools don’t always teach the right things and can’t accommodate the needs of children who fall behind. Concentrating on basic skills can prove remarkably effective. Children who attended the after-school ‘Read India’ camp for just three months jumped from simply recognizing letters to reading entire paragraphs on their own, at a cost of not more than $2.25 per pupil, per year.

MDG2 - achieve universal primary education

keep girls in school

get teachers to come to work

savings accounts for the poor

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More and more children are now enrolling in primary school, but only a third of them complete it. The drop-out rate is particularly high in the final years, and amongst girls. But girls can be motivated to keep studying if they can compete for dedicated scholarships and receive free school uniforms. When girls stay in school, it also makes them less likely to become pregnant. Providing uniforms costs just $12 per student per year, and it’s less than $3.50 per student to run scholarship competitions.

MDG 2 - achieve universal primary education, MDG4 - halt spread of HIV

Many of the poorest people would like to save money, or invest in productive activities, but any cash they might have is easily diverted to more immediate needs. If there is cash around, poor people are just as tempted as anyone to spend it. Helping them commit now to set aside money for the future can have huge effects on saving and investment, for very little cost. Innovative schemes in the Philippines raised savings balances by 81 percent within 1 year.

MDG1 - eradicate hunger, MDG 2 - achieve universal primary education

Too many poor children come to school to find that their teachers have not showed up. When this happens, the children automatically lose days at school. But something can be done: linking teacher salaries to proof of presence based on twice daily photos with the pupils taken with a camera with a tamper proof date and time stamp. When teachers came to work, they taught and learning went up. It costs just $2.20 per extra day of teacher attendance.

MDG 2 - achieve universal primary education

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yTo learn more about J-PAL and our work, please contact us.

J-PAL GLOBAL MIT Department of Economics30 Wadsworth Street, E53 - 320Cambridge, MA 02142info@povertyactionlab.org +1 617 324 6566

J-PAL AFRICA SALDRU at the University of Cape Town10 University Avenue (South),Upper Campus,University of Cape Town,Rondebosch 7700info@****.org +****

J-PAL EUROPE Paris School of Economics66 bis Avenue Jean Moulin75014 Paris, Francejpaleurope@povertyactionlab.org • +33 (0)1 71 19 40 70

J-PAL LATIN AMERICA Pontifica Universidad Católica de ChileInstitute de EconomíaAv. Vicuña Mackenna 4860Santiago, Chilejpallatam@povertyactionlab.org • +(56 2) 354 1297

J-PAL SOUTH ASIA Insititute for Financial Management and Research8th Floor, West Wing, Fountain Plaza31/2 A, Pantheon RoadEgmore, Chennai 600 008

jpalsouthasia@imfr.ac.in +91 44 4289 2700

P O V E R T YA C T I O N L A B . O R G / M D G