Assessing cost-effectiveness with equity of a programme targeting marginalised girls in secondary schools in Tanzania
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Cost-effectiveness studies rarely pay explicit attention to whether resources are used effectively to benefit the most marginalised. By linking a quasi-experimental design with detailed financial information, we analyse the cost-effectiveness of a programme targeting the most marginalised girls in government secondary schools in deprived rural areas in Tanzania by the non-governmental organisation, the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED). Our methodology is novel in its approach to taking equity into account. We find the cost-effectiveness ratio for CAMFED’s programme to be similar to interventions designed for more advantaged populations who are easier (and less costly) to reach. One key policy implication from our findings is that it is important to recognise that it may cost more to reach the most marginalised girls; however, interventions targeting these girls can also be cost-effective where they achieve a large and significant impact, as is the case with CAMFED’s programme. A second policy lesson is that a programme targeting the most marginalised can have wider benefits: in our analysis, we find that learning also improves for other girls as well as boys in CAMFED-supported schools.
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1943-9407