Learning Through Monitoring: Lessons from a Large-Scale Nutrition Program in Madagascar

44 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Emanuela Galasso

Emanuela Galasso

World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

Jeffrey Yau

Federal Trade Commission - Bureau of Economics

Date Written: November 1, 2006

Abstract

Monitoring data are generally collected as a by-product of the process of monitoring program implementation. Yet this rich source of data have not been exploited to assess the effectiveness of the program. In this paper the authors use detailed administered data from a large-scale, community-based nutrition program in Madagascar to argue that this data can be used to estimate the differential effect of increased exposure to the program and study how these returns to exposure evolve over time. They find that the returns to exposure are positive: communities exposed for an additional one or two years display on average lower malnutrition rates of around 7-9 percentage points. And they find that the returns decrease as time and duration increase, although they do not dissipate to zero. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the returns to the program reflect learning effects from the intervention. Finally, the results show higher differential returns to the program in poorer areas and areas more vulnerable to diseases. These findings have important implications for how such programs should be scaled-up within a country.

Keywords: Poverty Monitoring & Analysis, Early Child and Children's Health, Nutrition, Rural Poverty Reduction, Primary Education

Suggested Citation

Galasso, Emanuela and Yau, Ying, Learning Through Monitoring: Lessons from a Large-Scale Nutrition Program in Madagascar (November 1, 2006). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4058, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=943915

Emanuela Galasso (Contact Author)

World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) ( email )

1818 H. Street, N.W.
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Washington, DC 20433
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202-473-3902 (Phone)
202-522-1153 (Fax)

Ying Yau

Federal Trade Commission - Bureau of Economics ( email )

601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
United States

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