Universidad de Montevideo, Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales y Economía, Departamento de Economía
Fecha
2012
Extensión
30 p.
Abstract
Most discussion of after-school programs in shanty towns has focused on estimating their
average effects. The results of these programs are inconclusive and the explanation may
be that the effects are heterogeneous. In this paper, we study the influence of how
heterogeneity in the type of parents involved in the program affects the performance of
their children at school. We measure performance at school according to academic
achievement, behavior and grade retention. In line with previous literature, we employ
the number of books at home as a proxy for parent type. By using random assignment to
evaluate an after-school program in a developing-country shanty town, we find that it is
effective in raising children’s school achievement for those with a committed parent type.
Thus, this paper provides evidence that the knowledge of the distribution of effects is
crucial to guiding public policy and it is not enough just to change the environment in
which young people spend their after school hours, increasing time in safe, supervised
settings, it is also necessary to take parenting type into account.