Performance-Based Financing for Education in Cameroon

Last registered on July 08, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Performance-Based Financing for Education in Cameroon
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013589
Initial registration date
July 05, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
July 08, 2024, 1:45 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Cameroon
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Todd Pugatch
Affiliation
University at Buffalo
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Benjamin Fomba
PI Affiliation
Université de Yaoundé II
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PI Name
Carrel Fokou
PI Affiliation
University of Maroua
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PI Name
Lontum Nchadze
PI Affiliation
Oregon State University
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PI Name
Eric Djimeu Wouabe
PI Affiliation
Results for Development
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-02-01
End date
2025-07-01
Keywords
Education, Governance
Additional Keywords
education finance, public sector performance incentives, Cameroon
JEL code(s)
I22, I28, O12, H52
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This trial evaluates a performance-based financing (PBF) program for primary schools in Cameroon. The main goals are to quantify the causal impacts of PBF on outcomes including school governance, teaching quality, school access, and student learning. The trial also aims to isolate the effects of PBF school performance incentives from PBF components which do not depend on school performance.

The evaluation design has two components: 1) A non-experimental comparison of schools eligible for PBF to those not eligible, using methods like difference-in-differences to strengthen causal inference. 2) A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) that randomly assigns PBF-eligible schools to receive different combinations of PBF funding components: inputs-only (entry and equity bonuses), incentives-only (performance and progress bonuses), or inputs plus incentives. The RCT design will measure the effects of incentives vs. inputs. The RCT design does not have a pure control group.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Djimeu Wouabe , Eric et al. 2024. "Performance-Based Financing for Education in Cameroon." AEA RCT Registry. July 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13589-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The performance-based financing (PBF) program provides primary schools in Cameroon with additional funds. To be eligible for PBF, schools must be in an arrondissement (district) in the program and meet basic eligibility criteria, including having a bank account and a school action plan. PBF includes four components. The first two components, which we call inputs, do not depend on school performance. The final two components, which we call incentives, depend on school performance.

Inputs components
1. Entry: XAF 100,000 (~USD 163), based on meeting basic school eligibility criteria.
2. Equity: Up to XAF 100,000 (~USD 163), based on high student-teacher ratio

Incentives components
3. Performance: Up to XAF 700,000 (~USD 1,140), based on an index of school performance including student/teacher attendance, lesson preparation rate, and community rating.
4. Progress: XAF 50,000 (~USD 81), awarded for progress on performance indicators.



Intervention Start Date
2024-04-18
Intervention End Date
2025-07-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Student learning: math and French
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Student access: enrollment and attendance
Teaching quality (from surveys and classroom observations)
School governance (PBF performance indicators)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomly assigned schools in the RCT sample into three groups of 80 schools each:

1. Inputs-only PBF. The school is eligible for PBF entry and equity bonuses, but not performance or progress bonuses.
2. Incentives-only PBF. The school is eligible for PBF performance and progress bonuses, but not the entry and equity bonuses.
3. Inputs plus incentives PBF. The school is eligible for all PBF funds.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization in office by computer (Stata randtreat command)
Randomization Unit
School
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
240 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
4,800 students (240 schools * 20 students/school)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1. Inputs-only PBF: 80 schools
2. Incentives-only PBF: 80 schools
3. Inputs plus incentives PBF: 80 schools
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
learning outcomes: 0.23 standard deviations (sd)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Oregon State University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2021-09-30
IRB Approval Number
IRB-2021-1209
Analysis Plan