Wheels of power: Long-term effects of targeting girls with in-kind transfers

Description

Expansion of opportunities for the girl child can influence her aspirations within the context of prevailing social norms. Furthermore, the resulting shifts in aspirations may feed back into and reshape these norms, leading to a new social equilibrium. We develop a theoretical framework incorporating these dynamics to motivate our empirical analysis. Our study examines the long-term effects—rather than immediate impacts—of a one-time targeted intervention: the cycle distribution program for school-going girls introduced in Bihar in 2006. We utilize novel survey data on 10,000 boys and girls from three Indian states—Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Using a triple-differences estimation strategy, we find that girls who received a bicycle are significantly more likely to complete school (by 22.9 percent) and college (by 5 percent) compared to those who did not receive one. We also find that girls with bicycles are 4.1 percent less likely to be engaged in agricultural work. Interestingly, girls who received bicycles are more likely to report lack of permission to work outside the home and the absence of suitable job opportunities as primary reasons for not working. These findings suggest a shift in aspirations among these girls. However, they also highlight the importance of complementary policies to address remaining constraints, such as social norms and labor market barriers, to fully realize the benefits of such interventions.

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Keywords

Cycle programme, Bicycles, Girls education, Bihar

Conference

IGC Bihar Growth Conference, 16-17 July, 2016, Bihar

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