RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Workfare and Human Capital Investment: Evidence from India JF Journal of Human Resources JO J Hum Resour FD University of Wisconsin Press SP 1117-9201R2 DO 10.3368/jhr.56.2.1117-9201R2 A1 Manisha Shah A1 Bryce Millett Steinberg YR 2019 UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2019/10/07/jhr.56.2.1117-9201R2.abstract AB We examine the impact of an increase in the demand for low-skill labor caused by a large public works program (NREGS) on schooling outcomes. Exploiting the staged rollout of the program for causal identification, we show exposure to workfare decreases enrollment by 1–3.5 percentage points and increases labor by 4 percentage points amongst adolescents, with girls primarily substituting into unpaid domestic work. We also find evidence that children exposed to the program in utero to age 4 benefit later in life. We conclude that the opportunity cost of schooling is an important determinant of educational investment.