Description: Long-Term Financial Incentives and Investment in Daughters : Evidence from Conditional Cash Transfers in North India

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Long-Term Financial Incentives and Investment in Daughters : Evidence from Conditional Cash Transfers in North India

Since the early 1990s, several states in India have introduced financial incentive programs to discourage son preference among parents and encourage investment in daughters' education and health. This study evaluates one such program in the st...

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Main Authors:	Sinha, Nistha, Yoong, Joanne
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	ABORTION ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVES AGE AT MARRIAGE ANTENATAL CARE ANTENATAL VISITS BIRTHS CENSUSES CHILD BIRTH CHILD DEVELOPMENT CHILD HEALTH CHILD MORTALITY CHILD SURVIVAL CHILD WELFARE CHILDBEARING CHILDBEARING AGE CHILDHOOD CLINICS CULTURAL CHANGE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DISCRIMINATION DISSEMINATION ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC STATUS EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ETHNIC GROUPS EXTENDED FAMILIES FAMILIES FAMILY COMPOSITION FAMILY HEALTH FAMILY MEMBERS FAMILY PLANNING FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMS FAMILY STRUCTURE FASHION FEMALE FEMALE CHILD FEMALE CHILDREN FEMALE INFANTICIDE FEMALE LABOR FORCE FERTILITY FERTILITY PREFERENCES FEWER CHILDREN GENDER GENDER BIAS GENDER DIFFERENCES GENDER DISPARITY GENDER GAP GENDER GAPS GIRLS GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS HEALTH CARE HEALTH CENTERS HEALTH FACILITIES HEALTH FACILITY HEALTH HISTORIES HEALTH HISTORY HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE HEALTH OUTCOMES HEALTH SERVICES HEALTH STATUS HEALTH WORKERS HOSPITAL HOSPITALS HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSEHOLD SIZE HUMAN CAPITAL IDEAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN IMMUNIZATION IMMUNIZATION COVERAGE INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN LABOR MARKET LATER MARRIAGE LOCAL AUTHORITIES LOCAL COMMUNITY LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES MALES MEASLES MEDICAL RESEARCH MIGRANTS MINORITY MORTALITY MORTALITY RATE MOTHER MOTHERS NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY NATIONAL POPULATION NEONATAL MORTALITY NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF DEATHS NUTRITIONAL STATUS OLD AGE POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLIO POOR FAMILIES POOR HOUSEHOLDS POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT POPULATION STUDIES POVERTY REDUCTION PREGNANCY PRENATAL CARE PROGRESS PUBLIC HEALTH QUALITY OF LIFE REPRODUCTIVE AGE RURAL AREAS SCHOOL YEAR SCHOOL YEARS SCHOOLS SECONDARY EDUCATION SECONDARY SCHOOL SEX SEX RATIO SEX RATIOS SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION SIBLINGS SOCIAL IMPACT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS SON PREFERENCE SURVIVAL RATE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES URBAN AREAS VACCINATION VACCINES WAGES WOMAN WORKERS YOUNG CHILDREN
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090309091453 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4056

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Summary:	Since the early 1990s, several states in India have introduced financial incentive programs to discourage son preference among parents and encourage investment in daughters' education and health. This study evaluates one such program in the state of Haryana, Apni Beti Apna Dhan (Our Daughter, Our Wealth). Since 1994, eligible parents in Haryana have been offered a financial incentive if they give birth to a daughter. The incentive consists of an immediate cash grant and a long-term savings bond redeemable on the daughter's 18th birthday provided she is unmarried, with additional bonuses for education. Although no specific program participation data are available, we estimate early intent-to-treat program effects on mothers (sex ratio among live children, fertility preferences) and children (mother's use of antenatal care, survival, nutritional status, immunization, schooling) using statewide household survey data on fertility and child health, and constructing proxies for household and individual program eligibility. The results based on this limited data imply that Apni Beti Apna Dhan had a positive effect on the sex ratio of living children, but inconclusive effects on mothers' preferences for having female children as well as total desired fertility. The findings also show that parents increased their investment in daughters' human capital as a result of the program. Families made greater post-natal health investments in eligible girls, with some mixed evidence of improving health status in the short and medium term. Further evidence also suggests that the early cohort of eligible school-age girls was not significantly more likely to attend school; however, conditional on first attending any school, they may be more likely to continue their education.