Kazushi Takahashi

Can solar lanterns improve youth academic performance ? experimental evidence from Bangladesh

This study conducted an experimental intervention in unelectrified areas of northern Bangladesh to investigate the effectiveness of solar products in improving childrens educational achievement. It found that treated households substituted solar lanterns for kerosene-based lighting products, helping to decrease total household expenditure. Solar lanterns increased the childrens home-study hours, particularly at night and before exams. The solar lanterns initially led to an increase in school attendance, but this effect diminished over time. However, the increased study hours and initial improvement in school attendance did not translate into improved academic performance. Varying the number of solar products within the treated households did not alter these results. Analyses that exploited the school grade treatment intensity also provided no evidence suggesting that spillover effects explained the no academic performance effects. These findings suggest that improving the home-study environment solely through the provision of solar products may have a limited impact on childrens educational achievement.

How does contract design affect the uptake of microcredit among the ultra-poor?: experimental evidence from the river islands of Northern Bangladesh

Abstract This study examines the demand of microcredit among ultra-poor households in northern Bangladesh. We implemented a field experiment to identify what type of credit is best suited to their demand. We found that the uptake rate by the ultra-poor is the lowest for regular small cash credit, followed by in-kind credit. We also found that the ultra-poor are significantly more likely to join a microcredit programme than the moderately poor if a grace period with longer maturity is attached to a large amount of credit, irrespective of whether the credit is provided in cash or in kind.

Short-Term Impacts of Solar Lanterns on Child Health: Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract We implemented a 16-month randomised field experiment in unelectrified areas of Bangladesh to identify health impacts of solar lanterns among school-aged children. Our analysis of various health-related indicators – self-reporting, spirometers, and professional medical checkups – showed modest improvements in eye redness and irritation but no noticeable improvement in respiratory symptoms among treated students. Varying the number of solar products received within treatment households did not alter these results. This limited health benefit was not caused by nonutilisation of the products by treated children, spillover effects from treated to control students, or contamination resulting from unfavourable family cooking environments.

Price and non-price information frictions in regional arbitrage: The case of rice traders in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Traders’ arbitrage is crucial for regional market integration. We investigate the patterns of regional arbitrage of rice traders in Antananarivo, Madagascar. On the basis of a trader-level biweekly survey, we find that most traders do not buy rice at the lowest price including observed transportation costs. Random provision of regional price information, intended to reduce search costs, did not improve arbitrage performance. Traders continue trading with districts that they are used to because they worry about quality uncertainty and the trustworthiness of new partners. These findings suggest that nonprice information frictions are important obstacles of regional arbitrage and market integration.

Does Index Insurance Crowd In or Crowd Out Informal Risk Sharing? Evidence from Rural Ethiopia

&NA; We study how the introduction of a formal index insurance product affects informal risk‐sharing among pastoralists in southern Ethiopia. Using detailed social networks data, randomized incentives to purchase the insurance product, and hypothetical informal transfer data that mirror the existing customary arrangements, we find respondents own formal insurance uptake has no significant effect on their willingness to share risk through customary institutions. We also find weak evidence that a randomly matched peers insurance uptake positively influences respondents willingness to make informal transfers to that match. Overall, our results imply that in this context index insurance does not crowd out informal risk‐sharing mediated by social networks.