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Impact of caregiver incentives on child health: Evidence from an experiment with Anganwadi workers in India.
- Source :
-
Journal of Health Economics . Sep2017, Vol. 55, p219-231. 13p. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- This paper tests the effectiveness of performance pay and bonuses among government childcare workers in India. In a controlled study of 160 ICDS centers serving over 4000 children, we randomly assign workers to either fixed bonuses or payments based on the nutritional status of children in their care, and also collect data from a control group receiving only standard salaries. In all three study arms mothers receive nutrition information. We find that performance pay reduces underweight prevalence by about 5 percentage points over 3 months, and height improves by about one centimeter. Impacts on weight continue when incentives are renewed and return to parallel trends thereafter. Fixed bonuses are less expensive but lead to smaller and less precisely estimated effects than performance pay, especially for children near malnutrition thresholds. Both treatments improve worker effort and communication with mothers, who in turn feed a more calorific diet to children at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *CHILDREN'S health
*CAREGIVERS
*NUTRITION
*MALNUTRITION
*COMMUNICATION
*CHILD care
*COMPARATIVE studies
*LABOR incentives
*LEANNESS
*RESEARCH methodology
*MEDICAL cooperation
*PAY for performance
*NUTRITION disorders in children
*RESEARCH
*WAGES
*EVALUATION research
*NUTRITIONAL status
*PREVENTION
*ECONOMICS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01676296
- Volume :
- 55
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Health Economics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 124938117
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.07.005