Mathematica Policy Research

Child Labor, Schooling, and Child Ability

Communications — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:37:43 GMT

Using data collected in rural Burkina Faso, this working paper examines how children's cognitive abilities influence households' decisions to invest in their education. The analysis uses variations in rainfall experienced in utero or early childhood to measure ability. It finds that rainfall shocks experienced in utero have direct negative impacts on a child's education and increase labor hours compared with the child's siblings.

Predictors of Maternal and Child Double Burden of Malnutrition in Rural Indonesia and Bangladesh

Communications — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:59:55 GMT

This article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (subscription required) identifies maternal, child, and household characteristics in rural Indonesia and Bangladesh associated with maternal and child double burden of malnutrition, the coexistence of a stunted child and an overweight mother within the same household. Maternal and child double burden was observed in 11 percent and 4 percent of the households in rural Indonesia and Bangladesh, respectively. The study found double burden is not exclusive to urban areas.

Improving Sanitation at Scale: Lessons from TSSM Implementation in East Java, Indonesia

Communications — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:48:06 GMT

This study, conducted for the Gates Foundation, examines how the Total Sanitation and Sanitation Marketing initiative program was implemented in Indonesia. The program moved beyond simply building sanitation "hardware" and relied, instead, on providing training and technical assistance to promote collective action to eliminate open defecation and to strengthen demand for and supply of sanitation products and services. The study focused on identifying factors related to successful implementation in some locations and the barriers and challenges to less successful implementation in others. Political commitment for the program, high levels of coordination among stakeholders, and adequate resource allocation were found to be important determinants of successful implementation.

Evaluation of the Rwanda Threshold Program: Baseline Report

Communications — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:20:40 GMT

This report presents preliminary findings from an evaluation funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the Rwanda Threshold Program, which aims to promote political rights, civil liberties, and political accountability through several initiatives, including strengthening police accountability, media, and civic participation. The report found that a minority of Rwandans are aware of an MCC-funded effort to encourage citizen comments on the Rwanda National Police. Baseline findings suggest that before the threshold program, most citizens listened to radio and believed its news coverage to be accurate; findings also suggest that measures of citizen satisfaction and engagement with local government are mixed.

Evaluation of Tanzania Energy Sector Project: Updated Design Report

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:24:21 GMT

This report describes Mathematica's evaluation design for the Millennium Challenge Corporation's energy sector project to improve living standards and reduce poverty in Tanzania by investing in and improving energy-related infrastructure.

Tanzania Energy Sector Impact Evaluation: Findings from the Zanzibar Baseline Study

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:25:09 GMT

This report describes the data, design, and methodology for an impact evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Zanzibar Cable Activity, which involves laying a new submarine cable to provide a more reliable source of electricity to Unguja Island to increase economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve the standard of living. The study found that an unreliable electricity supply increases hotel costs and decreases revenues.

Electricity in Zanzibar's Unguja Island: Initial Evaluation Findings

Communications — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:25:57 GMT

This issue brief presents baseline findings from the impact evaluation and the case study before the installation of a new electricity cable connecting Unguja Island in Zanzibar to the electricity grid of mainland Tanzania. Information for the baseline analysis comes from electricity data provided by the Millennium Challenge Account-Tanzania and the Zanzibar Electricity Company. The case study is based on a survey of 30 hotels. A follow-up analysis will take place in 2013.

Impact Evaluation of Niger's IMAGINE Program

Communications — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:08:55 GMT

This report documents the main findings from the impact evaluation of the IMAGINE Program, which was designed to improve educational outcomes of girls in Niger. Overall, IMAGINE had a 4.3 percentage point positive impact on primary school enrollment, no impact on attendance, and no impact on math and French test scores. The program impacts were generally larger for girls than for boys. For girls, the program had an 8 percentage point positive impact on enrollment and a 5.4 percentage point impact on attendance. The program had no impact on girls' math scores, though it may have had a slight positive impact on girls' French test scores. No significant impacts were detected for boys' enrollment, attendance, or test scores. Finally, impacts were larger for younger children (ages 7-10), than for those between the ages of 10 and 12.

Evaluation of the International Organization for Migration and Its Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:21:38 GMT

This report presents findings of an evaluation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its efforts to combat human trafficking. It documents and assesses how projects funded by the Norwegian government and implemented in partnership with IOM have sought to counter human trafficking between 2000 and 2010, documents key findings related to these efforts, and provides recommendations. IOM’s major strengths include network-building and victim support, but it faces challenges when ensuring human rights protections and understanding program outcomes.

Aftershocks of Chile's Earthquake for an Ongoing, Large-Scale Experimental Evaluation

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:22:20 GMT

Un Buen Comienzo, an ongoing early childhood program in Chile, was directly affected by the 2010 earthquake in that country. This article discusses the factors the team considered for deciding whether to put on hold or continue implementation and data collection for this experimental study.

Mortality Risk and Human Capital Investment: The Impact of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa

Communications — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:13:44 GMT

Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys for 15 sub-Saharan African countries, this article estimates the relationship between regional HIV prevalence and the change in individual human capital investment over time. Areas with higher levels of HIV experienced relatively larger declines in schooling.

Baseline Report on the Tertiary Canal Survey

Communications — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:40:23 GMT

This report presents baseline data from the tertiary canal survey, which provides an understanding of the current irrigation and agricultural situation in rural Armenia, as well as context for the impact evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s infrastructure improvement project in that country.

Mathematica Launches Major International Studies

Communications — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:47:08 GMT

In projects spanning Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, Mathematica's international experts work in some of the world's most difficult field conditions to conduct rigorous impact assessments and produce reliable information on the effectiveness of programs designed to address these challenges. Recognizing the rich scope and high quality of its work, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) recently awarded Mathematica key projects to assess international development initiatives in Moldova, Rwanda, Asia, and the Middle East.

Toward Closing the Evaluation Gap: Lessons Learned from Three Recent Impact Evaluations of Social Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean

Communications — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:12:45 GMT

This journal article identifies how impact evaluations are encouraged and resisted in Latin America and the Caribbean. Drawing on case studies from work in El Salvador, Jamaica, and Mexico, the authors outline best practices for successfully designing and implementing a high quality impact evaluation.