Suchergebnisse

Using a natural experiment from South Korea's high school equalisation policy area, we show that school-provided after-school classes reduce students' time spent in private tuition and the associated household expenditure, as well as increase their likelihood of college attendance. Though high and low income groups use a different mix of unassisted study and private tuition to substitute for after-school class, both consume less private tuition as after-school class hours increase. Importantly, the likelihood of college attendance improves similarly for both high and low income groups. The findings suggest a role for after-school classes in improving the academic outcomes of students and reducing demand for private tuition, but their utility in reducing outcome inequality is less certain.

Abstract
Using a randomised experiment in 200 Bangladeshi villages, we evaluate the impact of an over-the-phone learning support intervention (telementoring) among primary school children and their mothers during Covid-19 school closures. Post-intervention, treated children scored 35% higher on a standardised test, and the homeschooling involvement of treated mothers increased by 22 minutes per day (26%). We also found that the intervention forestalled treated children's learning losses. When we returned to the participants one year later, after schools briefly reopened, we found that the treatment effects had persisted. Academically weaker children benefited the most from the intervention that only cost USD20 per child.

AbstractPrior studies have documented incumbency advantage for electoral candidates. A largely unrelated strand of literature has shown that perceived competence of candidates, as inferred from their physical appearance, also predicts their electoral success. We draw upon the framework of statistical discrimination and the dual‐system theory of human cognition to understand the relationship between a political candidate's vote share, physical appearance, and incumbency status. Voters possess relatively richer information about incumbents compared to challengers. Perceived competence of candidates, as inferred from their physical appearance, is therefore expected to have a relatively weaker influence on voters' decisions to vote for incumbents. Data from Australian state elections support this prediction.