Does Information Lead to More Active Citizenship? Evidence from an Education Intervention in Rural Kenya

61 Pages Posted: 6 Mar 2013

See all articles by Evan S. Lieberman

Evan S. Lieberman

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Political Science

Daniel N. Posner

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Lily Tsai

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Political Science

Date Written: March 5, 2013

Abstract

We study a randomized educational intervention in 550 households in 26 matched villages in two Kenyan districts. The intervention provided parents with information about their children’s performance on literacy and numeracy tests, and materials about how to become more involved in improving their children’s learning. We find the provision of such information had no discernible impact on either private or collective action. In discussing these findings, we articulate a causal chain linking information provision to changes in citizens’ behavior, and assess the present intervention at each step. Future research on information provision should pay greater attention to this causal chain.

Keywords: Kenya, Africa, Information, Accountability, Education, Field Experiments

Suggested Citation

Lieberman, Evan S. and Posner, Daniel N. and Tsai, Lily, Does Information Lead to More Active Citizenship? Evidence from an Education Intervention in Rural Kenya (March 5, 2013). MIT Political Science Department Research Paper No. 2013-2, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2228900

Evan S. Lieberman

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Political Science ( email )

77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

Daniel N. Posner (Contact Author)

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) ( email )

405 Hilgard Avenue
Box 951361
Los Angeles, CA 90095
United States

Lily Tsai

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Department of Political Science ( email )

77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

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