Publications
Journal of African Economies, 34(3), 2025
Abstract: Countries worldwide have been successful at getting children into school but low student learning and low school quality remain concerns. This paper analyzes whether a Kenyan government program that upgraded selected secondary schools to a higher-quality national tier improved student educational outcomes, as measured by student secondary school completion examination results. The program impact is identi ed by comparing student outcomes at upgraded schools to student outcomes at schools that met the government's upgrade eligibility criteria, but were not selected for the upgrade program. I examine only cohorts already enrolled in the schools prior to the upgrade announcements to avoid potential composition changes resulting from the program. Using this difference-in-differences approach, I find that the program did not significantly improve outcomes for students enrolled in the the newly-upgraded schools while the new admissions mechanism admitted more geographically diverse but lower-achieving students.
A Firm of Ones Own: Experimental Evidence on Credit Constraints and Occupational Choice
Review of Economics and Statistics, 1-25, September 2024
(with Maddalena Honorati, Gerald Ipapa, Pamela Jakiela, and Owen Ozier)
Abstract: We evaluate two labor market interventions targeting young women in Nairobi, Kenya. The first was a multifaceted program involving vocational training, in-kind transfers of physical capital, and ongoing mentoring. The second was an unrestricted cash grant. Both interventions shift women into self-employment, impacts which persist after six years. Both programs also increase income in the short-term, but those effects disappear over time. Though the two treatments have similar impacts on labor market outcomes, women in the multifaceted program report significantly higher wellbeing six years after treatment relative to both women in the control group and those who received the grants
Labour Economics, 91, December 2024
(with Diego Ubfal)
Young adults seeking to enter the labor market often confront a skills mismatch with firms reporting difficulty finding new entrants with appropriate levels of soft skills. This paper reports findings from a randomized controlled trial in Rwanda in which recent graduates from tertiary education were randomly assigned to a 2-week intensive soft skills training program developed and delivered by staff of the main national University. Our results indicate that the program facilitated an accelerated entry into the labor market in a period characterized by COVID-19 related disruptions. These effects dissipated over the following year as more jobs become available in the economy and the control group's employment caught up with that of the treatment group. We find evidence of significant job networks expansion for participants of the training, which could have led to faster labor market entry for the treated youth.
The effects of booster classes in protracted crisis settings: Evidence from Kenyan refugee camps
Journal of Development Effectiveness, 15(3), 2023.
(with Thomas de Hoop, Chinmaya Holla, Darius Isaboke, Timothy Kinoti, Hannah Ring, and Victoria Rothbard)
Students in protracted crisis settings often face a range of challenges which combine to yield low education outcomes. This paper presents the results from a randomized controlled trial of weekend and holiday booster classes for 7th and 8th grade girls in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, that aimed to improve girls’ education outcomes and increase transition rates from primary to secondary school. While qualitative results suggested numerous advantages of the booster classes, including more freedom to ask questions, smaller class sizes, and kinder teachers, the program did not yield statistically significant effects on learning outcomes, school attendance or noncognitive skills. Mixed-methods research suggests that the limited impacts may stem from implementation challenges including irregular booster class attendance and a lack of appropriate teaching materials. More broadly, the results show the importance of accounting for implementation challenges in the reporting of impact evaluation results.
The Impacts of Lowering the Cost of Secondary Education: Evidence from a Fee Reduction in Kenya
Economics of Education Review, vol 83, 2021. (Awarded Economics of Education Review Best Paper of 2021)
Abstract: I investigate the Kenyan government’s 2008 public secondary school fee reduction. This policy rapidly increased the proportion of students continuing from primary to secondary school, particularly from areas with low initial primary to secondary transition rates. Using this regional variation in exposure to the program together with birth-cohort variation, I show that the program increased female educational achievement, delayed childbirth and related demographic behaviors, and shifted employment away from agriculture towards skilled work.
Working Papers
Impacts of Mechanization on Agricultural Production and Intra-Household Labor Supply (updated April 2025)
(with Aletheia Donald and Lea Rouanet)
Despite the potential for mechanization to boost agricultural productivity and reduce poverty, evidence on its impacts remains scarce---particularly in post-conflict settings, where farmers seeking to mechanize must overcome credit constraints stemming from equipment and collateral loss. We study the impacts of a mechanization intervention in post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire using the random allocation of matching grants for traction oxen among 2,580 farmers. We find positive impacts on households’ agricultural production during the agricultural season overlapping with oxen delivery, and increases in land holdings and input use in the subsequent season. The intervention affected household members in different ways, with wives and daughters substantially reducing their work on the farm. In districts with more restrictive gender norms around handling oxen, introducing traction oxen resulted in women shifting to off-farm work.
Supporting Women’s Livelihoods at Scale: Evidence from a Nationwide Multi-Faceted Program (updated June 2025)
(with Ioana Botea, Markus Goldstein, Corinne Low, and Gareth Roberts)
Abstract: The success of multi-faceted ``graduation'' programs in reducing poverty raises three questions: Can their impacts be replicated when implemented by governments at scale? Can these bundled programs be streamlined for broader reach? And, do positive effects risk being offset by negative spillovers? This study examines a nationwide livelihood program implemented by the Zambian government and finds large, sustained increases in consumption and earnings--comparable to those of the most effective multi-faceted programs--without negative economic spillovers on non-beneficiaries. A treatment arm providing only financial capital achieved similar gains, consistent with evidence on the welfare impacts of direct cash transfers but with the added advantage of persistent income generation effects. These results point to a middle-ground approach between simple capital infusions, which often lack long-term impact, and complex graduation models that may be challenging for governments to implement at scale, offering a scalable and sustainable strategy for poverty alleviation.
The above paper extends on the short-term results detailed in Supporting Women’s Livelihoods at Scale: Evidence from a Nationwide Multi-Faceted Program (with Ioana Botea, Markus Goldstein, Corinne Low, and Gareth Roberts)
NBER Working Paper no. 31625 (2023).
Land Registration, Input Subsidies, and Agricultural Investment: Experimental Evidence from Women Farmers in Mozambique (updated June 2025)
(with Claire Boxho, Joao Montalvao, and Matheus Proença)
Abstract: Weak property rights over land may limit agricultural investment in Sub-Saharan Africa by reducing farmers’ confidence in future returns. But improving property rights alone may not suffice if farmers also face liquidity or information constraints. We test this using a field experiment with women farmers in Mozambique, cross-randomizing land registration with a subsidized bundle of agricultural inputs and basic training. Land registration briefly increased perceived tenure security but had no effect on investment two years later, with or without the package. The input and training package alone also failed to raise investment and reduced harvests, likely due to a shift toward a shock-prone crop. Taken together, the results suggest that tenure security alone is not enough to unlock investment, and it remains unclear what other constraints must be eased—or if tenure security simply needs more time to matter.