Author: Pedro Carneiro
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A programme that matched unemployed people with specific job openings and subsidised their wages for six months has had benefits lasting long after the funding stopped. People who had never held a formal job saw the biggest gains, finally having a chance to prove their productivity to an employer.
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A 2007 lottery in Rio de Janeiro assigned thousands of youngsters aged 0 to 3 to free childcare places. Seven years on, the physical health gains for the children have held up – but the employment gains for the grandparents and older siblings who cared for them have largely faded.
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When parents lose their jobs, it can hurt children’s educational outcomes, mental wellbeing and future job prospects. How much depends on how old the child is at the time – with the impact potentially larger in the teen years. The effects are also more pronounced if it is the mother who is laid off.
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How teachers interact with their pupils can have a clear effect on educational outcomes, as well as the development of executive skills. Evidence from Ecuador highlights the value of a good teacher in raising the performance of children who have struggled in the past.
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The presence of disruptive children in a classroom can harm the attainment of the wider peer group. Evidence from Ecuador shows that poor behaviour can reduce scores in both mathematics and languages, as well as eroding classmates’ sense of belief in their abilities or the value of hard work.
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Training local volunteers and medicine shopkeepers can help to reduce the risk of mortality from malaria in lower-income countries. Investment in hospitals naturally remains vital, but boosting capacity at local level – particularly in the quality of local public clinics – will save lives.
