Do workfare programmes reduce educational attainment? Evidence from India

Workfare programmes have become an increasingly common form of social transfer. From 2007-2009, the World Bank alone funded workfare programmes in 24 different countries. While they offer a valuable safety net to households in lean times, workfare programmes can also produce unintended effects. Looking at the case of NREGA in India, today’s blog argues that a better understanding of ‘price effects’ is needed to improve targeting and reduce trade-offs to education