In Sub-Saharan Africa, wage job opportunities are limited, and a vast majority of young people are engaged in low-productive work. Many governments support formal apprenticeship programs to help youth find suitable employment, but there is limited evidence on the direct and indirect effects of these public interventions. Researchers partnered with the World Bank and the government of Cote d’Ivoire to evaluate the impact of a subsidized dual apprenticeship program targeting both youth and firms. The apprenticeship program increased participation among youth in formal apprenticeships, and participating firms hired more formal apprentices after the program was implemented. The increase in the number of apprentices entering firms was also associated with an increase in the quality of work provided by apprentices, suggesting that apprenticeship programs can have broader benefits for firms in the economy.

Engaging parents in their children’s education via text messages has been shown to be effective at increasing children’s attendance in school and improving grades in Brazil, but it’s unclear whether this model could be adapted to poorer countries where teacher absenteeism is high and many parents are illiterate. This randomized evaluation tests two versions of this model, using text and audio messages for parents either with or without messages to teachers in Côte d‘Ivoire. Researchers are measuring impacts on student learning outcomes, parental engagement, and teacher professional outcomes.

In many low-income countries, people face pressure from family and friends to share their earnings. While this dynamic can insure individuals in the face of limited formal institutions, it may also restrict economic transformation and labor productivity. In Côte d’Ivoire, researchers partnered with the Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Épargne (CNCE), the largest savings bank in the country, OLAM, a leading transnational agroprocessing firm, and IPA to test a financial innovation among workers in cashew-processing plants: a direct-deposit commitment savings account designed to make it easier for workers to convert productivity increases into long-term savings which cannot be accessed by others. Preliminary results suggest workers offered the account increased their labor productivity and earnings by 10 percent, while workers who actually opened the accounts experienced an 18 percent increase in earnings. The impact appears to be driven by workers increasing effort while on the job. Further results are forthcoming.