Simeon Lauterbach

(Geneva Graduate Institute)

will give a presentation on 

Closing the Gender Gap: Differential Impacts of Public and Private School Subsidies in Uganda

Abstract

How can low-income countries expand access to secondary education and reduce the gender gap in education? I study the impact of Uganda's nationwide 2007 tuition fee subsidy policy, which covered public schools and private secondary schools located more than five kilometers from the nearest public school. Using novel administrative and household data, I find that the subsidies had minimal impacts on educational outcomes in public schools for both male and female students. However, educational outcomes significantly improved in subsidized private schools, with female students benefiting nearly five times more than male students. I provide new insights into how a fee-reduction policy can produce large, heterogeneous effects, particularly in relation to gender and school location.

Seminar co-organized by CORE.