世界银行-通过终点线的“大力推动”：来自乌干达学生综合奖学金的证据（英）

Policy Research Working Paper11165A “Big Push” Through the Finish LineEvidence from a Composite Scholarship for Ugandan StudentsBenedetta LervaDenise FerrisMargherita FornasariDevelopment Economics Development Impact GroupJuly 2025 A verified reproducibility package for this paper is available at http://reproducibility.worldbank.org, click here for direct access. Public Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedPublic Disclosure AuthorizedProduced by the Research Support TeamAbstractThe Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.Policy Research Working Paper 11165Secondary school completion in sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest in the world. Given the multiple constraints house-holds face, the scope of purely demand-side interventions to narrow the completion gap may be large. This paper quantifies this scope by studying how jointly relaxing key demand-side constraints affects learning, graduation, and the labor market entry of talented and economically disad-vantaged students in Uganda. The study randomizes access to a “big push” scholarship program covering fees, school placement, school inputs, and a cash transfer equivalent to 50 percent of the adult wage. The program raises test scores and pushes completion rates to high-income country levels; it halves fertility and increases the share of women who work while studying. Students’ families of origin also benefit by becoming wealthier and happier. Results show that relaxing demand-side constraints benefits students and doubles as an antipoverty intervention for their households.This paper is a product of the Development Impact Group, Development Economics. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The authors may be contacted at blerva@worldbank.org. A verified reproducibility package for this paper is available at http://reproducibility.worldbank.org, click here for direct access. POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPERSTRANSPARENTANALYSISA “Big Push” Through the Finish Line:Evidence from a Composite Scholarship for Ugandan Students*Benedetta Lerva†Denise Ferris‡Margherita Fornasari§JEL Codes: D04, D12, D13, D14, I22, I2