PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Aurino, Elisabetta
AU  - Gelli, Aulo
AU  - Adamba, Clement
AU  - Osei-Akoto, Isaac
AU  - Alderman, Harold
TI  - Food for thought? Experimental Evidence on the Learning Impacts of a Large-Scale School Feeding Program
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.58.3.1019-10515R1
DP  - 2020 Dec 14
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 1019-10515R1
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/12/03/jhr.58.3.1019-10515R1.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/12/03/jhr.58.3.1019-10515R1.full
AB  - There is limited experimental evidence on the effects of large-scale, government-led interventions on human capital in resource-constrained settings. We report results from a randomized trial of the government of Ghana’s school feeding. After two years, the program led to moderate average increases in math and literacy standardized scores among pupils in treatment communities, and to larger achievement gains for girls and disadvantaged children and regions. Improvements in child schooling, cognition, and nutrition constituted suggestive impact mechanisms, especially for educationally-disadvantaged groups. The program combined equitable human capital accumulation with social protection, contributing to the “learning for all” sustainable development agenda.