The Challenges of Scaling Up a Complicated Technological Solution in a Resource-Constrained Setting

Researchers: Xavier Giné, Jessica Goldberg, and Dean Yang

In Malawi, a pilot study showed that using fingerprints as unique IDs to track credit histories increased repayment behavior of microfinance borrowers, holding promise as a way to help more poor borrowers access credit. With support from USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures, researchers collaborated with lenders and a centralized credit data repository in Malawi to evaluate the impact of this approach prior to its transition to scale. The implementation of the scale-up faced many challenges and researchers saw relatively low adoption of fingerprint identification by local microfinance institutions. These results highlight the challenge of scaling up a complicated technology in a resource-constrained setting and the broader importance of evaluating interventions beyond the pilot scale before expanding them to reach larger populations.

Read the full case study here.

NEW RESULTS

Formal Vocational Training Boosted Educational Attainment and Employment in Mongolia

Researchers: Erica Field, Leigh Linden, Daniel Rubenson, and Shing-yi Wang

Vocational education programs are a popular strategy aimed at improving labor market outcomes for youth, but there is mixed evidence about their actual benefits. Researchers evaluated the impact of admission to one of Mongolia’s formal vocational training programs on students’ educational attainment, employment, and earnings. Admission led to higher educational attainment and employment for applicants, especially for women, and increased earnings for women.

Read the full summary here.

BLOG

RECOVR Roundup Vol. 18: Social Protection in the Time of COVID-19
By Luciana Debenedetti, Jeffrey Mosenkis, and Rachel Strohm

RECOVR Roundup Vol. 17: Social Protection in the Time of COVID-19
By Luciana Debenedetti, Jeffrey Mosenkis, and Rachel Strohm

Closing the Learning Gap: Building Liberia's First National Primary Learning Assessment System
By Arja Dayal, Joe Gbasakollie, Madia Herring, Andreas Holzinger, Mark Jäger, and Walker Higgins

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EVENTS

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Ghana National Education Week: Evidence Summit 2021
August 22 | Accra, Ghana

IPA to Moderate Myanmar Update 2021: Living with the Pandemic and the Coup
July 15-17 | Webinar, Myanmar

RECENT

Webinar | Do Vouchers Work? The Impact of Humanitarian Assistance on Displaced People in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
June 30 | Webinar, United States

Phone Surveys Using Random Digit Dialing: Lessons Learned from IPA’s Multi-Country RECOVR Surveys
June 29 | Webinar, United States

Webinar | Transportation Infrastructure in Medellin: Importing Opportunity or Exporting Crime?
June 22 | Webinar, United States

Roundtable | Can Cash Transfers Promote Social Distancing and Enhance Social Protection during a Pandemic? Evidence from Ghana
June 17 | Webinar, Ghana

Building State Capacity for Tax Collection: Emerging Evidence and Implications for Practice
June 3 | Webinar, United States

RECOVR Webinar Series | COVID-19 and Forced Displacement in the Global South: Economic Well-being and Integration
June 2 | Webinar, United States

Webinaire RECOVR | Informer les politiques de santé, sociales et économiques sur le COVID-19 en Afrique de l'Ouest
May 25 | Webinar, United States

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