Implemented with the aim of reducing financial burden for the poor, India’s national health insurance scheme (RSBY) is linked to increase in enrolment of girls in schools, finds this study.
Author
Manini Ojha, Assistant Professor, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Summary
Sudden health shocks may be devastating if their consequences are transferred to human capital formation of children, especially in families that are unable to access affordable healthcare.
As such, access to health insurance may play a role in determining schooling decisions. I examine the impact of India’s national health insurance scheme (RSBY) on gender differences in school enrolments in this paper.
Employing difference-in-differences and triple differences approaches, I find that RSBY reduces the gender gap in school enrolments. Therefore, while RSBY was implemented with the aim of reducing financial burden for the poor, I find evidence that it has unintended positive consequences for girls in particular.
Published in: Journal of International Development
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