Michael Kremer

Each year, 1.6 million children die from diarrheal diseases; unsafe drinking water is a major cause. This paper reviews evidence from randomized trials on domestic water access and quality in developing countries, interpreting the results through a public economics framework. Read more »

Advocates of teacher incentive programs argue that they can strengthen weak incentives, while opponents argue they lead to “teaching to the test.” We find evidence that existing teacher incentives in Kenya are indeed weak, with teachers absent 20% of the time. Read more »

We report results from a randomized evaluation of a merit scholarship program in Kenya in which girls who scored well on academic exams at the end of 6th grade had their school fees paid and received a cash grant for school supplies over the next two years. Read more »

Kenya’s education system blends substantial centralization with elements of local control and school choice.  This paper argues that the system creates incentives for local communities to build too many small schools; to spend too much on teachers relative to non-teacher inputs; and to set school fees that exceed those preferred by the median voter and prevent many children from attending Read more »