Building dreams: The short-term impacts of a conditional cash transfer program on aspirations for higher education

Sandra García, Arturo Harker, Jorge Cuartas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper analyses the short-term impacts of a large scale conditional cash transfer program on educational aspirations in poor households. Using data from the impact evaluation of the Colombian program Familias en Acción and a difference-in-differences approach, we find a positive impact on aspirations for higher education, for both children and parents. After more than one year of exposure, parents were 11 percentage points more likely to aspire for higher education for their children, and children were 20 percentage points more likely to aspire to higher education. The effect was larger for parents in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged households.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)48-57
Number of pages10
JournalInternational Journal of Educational Development
Volume64
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2019

Keywords

  • Conditional cash transfer
  • Difference-in-differences
  • Education
  • Educational aspirations
  • Latin America

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Development
  • Sociology and Political Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Building dreams: The short-term impacts of a conditional cash transfer program on aspirations for higher education'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this