Mahounan Yedomiffi

• Job Market Paper: Does Parental Involvement Improve Student Learning: The Role of Parent's Monitoring

Primary education enrollment rates in developing countries have increased significantly over the past few decades, but secondary school completion rates have remained low and unequal. This study presents the findings of a randomized controlled trial I conducted in Benin investigating the effects of providing parents with information about their non-financial role in their child’s education through weekly phone calls. Across 2,094 8th-grade students in 20 secondary schools, the intervention led to a substantial 6 percent increase in grade completion. This stems from a statistically significant 0.11 standard deviation increase in year-end GPA, driven by STEM subjects. The intervention benefits academically weaker students, elevating their likelihood of progression by 37 percent. Educational improvements are due to parents improving their management of the household, reducing children’s chores, and becoming more involved and informed about what is going on at school. These results offer a promising and extremely cost-effective strategy for sub-Saharan Africa to improve educational outcomes and highlight the importance of parental management in the education production function.

• COVID-19 Learning Losses, Parental Investments, and Recovery: Evidence from Low-Cost Private Schools in Nigeria (Joint with Adeniran, A., Okoye, D., and Wantchekon, L.) RISE Working Paper Series. 22/120. https://doi.org/10.35489/BSG-RISEWP_2022/120

This paper studies the extent of learning losses and recovery in Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, and provides some evidence that a full recovery is possible. Using data from a random sample of schools, we find significant learning losses of about .6 standard deviations in English and Math. However, a program designed to slow down the curriculum and cover what was missed during school closures led to a rebound within 2 months and a recovery of all learning losses. Students who were a part of the program do not lag behind one year later and remain in school.

• Effect of the 2011 Libyan Crisis on Insecurity in the Sahel Region (Joint with Togbedji Gansey)

Sahelian countries are experiencing record terrorist activities. Using detailed data on terrorist activities, we investigate how the fall of the Libyan regime in 2011 affected the Sahel region. Results show a significant increase in attacks, deaths, and injuries associated with terrorist activities in the following years after 2011. In ongoing analysis, we are investigating how this sudden increase of terrorism impacts children's human capital accumulation and health.