81402 enGender Impact: The World Bank’s Gender Impact Evaluation Database Pitfalls of Participatory Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Education in India Author(s) Abhijit Banerjee, Rukmini Banerji, Esther Duflo, Rachel Glennerster, Stuti Khemani Contact skhemani@worldbank.org Country India Organizing Voice and Agency, Education and Skills Theme Status Completed Intervention Information Intervention Category Sector Education Participation of beneficiaries in the monitoring of public services is increasingly seen as a key to improving their quality. We conducted a randomized evaluation of three interventions to encourage beneficiaries’ participation to India: providing information on existing institutions, training community members in a testing Abstract tool for children, and training volunteers to hold remedial reading camps. These interventions had no impact on community involvement, teacher effort, or learning outcomes inside the school. However, in the third intervention, youth volunteered to teach camps, and children who attended substantially improved their reading skills. This suggests that citizens face constraints in influencing public services. Gender Gender Informed Analysis Connection Gender Gender disaggregated school performance Outcomes IE Design Clustered Randomized Control Trial (Clustered at village level) Three similar interventions were implemented by Pratham, an NGO, in order to increase awareness and participation about village education committees (VEC). The first treatment, Pratham teams facilitated a meeting, ecnouraged discussions and sharing of information about local service delivery and the VEC. The Intervention second treatment additionally supplied community members to administer a simple reading test for children and creaetd report cards on the status of enrollment in their village. The third intervention included the second intervention plus it provided training in pedagogical technique for developing basic reading skills. These trained volunteers then held reading camps in the village lasting 2-3 months. Intervention September -December 2005 Period The evaluation took place in 280 villages in Jaunpur district of UP India. 10 randomly selected households Sample from each village were surveyed. The sample consisted of 2800 households, 316 schools, 17533 children and population 1029 VEC members. 65 villages were assigned each of the 3 treatments and 85 villages were assigned the control. Comparison There are 85 villages control villages that received no treatment. conditions Unit of Household Level analysis Evaluation March 2005-April 2006 Period Last updated: 14 August 2013 1 enGender Impact: The World Bank’s Gender Impact Evaluation Database None of the interventions improved the involvement in public schools, nor did they improve the school performance. This is despite the large mobilization of volunteers. Children who attended reading camps did Results exhibit significant progress (children who attended were 60% more likely to be able to decipher letters). Therefore, providing information on education and institutions is not sufficient to improve the public schools. Primary study The study does not discuss limitations limitations Funding Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, DIME Source Banerjee, A. V., Banerji, R., Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Khemani, S. (2010) "Pitfalls of Participatory Reference(s) Programs: Evidence from a randomized evaluation in education in India," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 1-30. Link to http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/25760049?uid=41914&uid=16804272&uid=3739584&uid= Studies 2&uid=41908&uid=3&uid=67&uid=62&uid=3739256&uid=16744216&uid=5912280&sid=21102546317423 Microdata Last updated: 14 August 2013 2