Regional Welfare and Female Schooling: Do Microfinance and Female Stipends Matter in Bangladesh?

• Main Author: Ahmed, Ishraq
• Format: Others
• Published: OpenSIUC 2017
• Subjects: Bangladesh; Microfinance; Stipends; Welfare
• Online Access: https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1330; https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2334&context=dissertations

This dissertation aims to look at two facets of welfare: consumption and female schooling outcomes. We seek to evaluate the impact of microfinance on regional and household welfare and female stipends on female schooling outcomes. The first chapter examines the impact of Grameen Bank and BRAC on regional welfare in Bangladesh. Welfare at the sub-district level is measured in terms of household consumption, and then we examine how the presence of microfinance institutions affect regional welfare. The second chapter aims to evaluate the impact of the female secondary school stipend on female enrollment and to see whether the stipend has any effect on females continuing to be enrolled in secondary school and whether females complete more years of schooling. The third chapter aims to assess the impact of microfinance participation on the educational outcomes of girls, using the techinique of propensity score matching. Using enrollment data for 2010 and 2011, we attempt to see if MFI participation has impact on measures such as whether girls are currently enrolled in school and whether they have continuously been enrolled in school.