| The first chapter of this dissertation explores the factors that shape the dynamics of educational attainment for orphaned children in Malawi. Orphans, particularly female orphans, (1) experience an immediate negative impact associated with parental death, (2) yet continue to attend school up to a threshold age, (3) after they reach the threshold age, however, they are more likely to drop out of school. Male double orphans, in contrast, are less affected after the threshold age and eventually catch up with children living with both parents. These findings suggest that the motives for fostering and adopting children with deceased parents vary depending on gender and orphan status, and the most effective policy option for female orphans will involve assistance at the threshold age.;The second chapter investigates the impact of agricultural credit program participation on children's school attendance in rural Malawi. This study reveals that while credit uptake increases school attendance of older children, it decreases school attendance of younger children, particularly girls. The study also finds that health-related shocks negatively impact school attendance, but participation in the credit program significantly offsets theses negative effects for older children (but not for younger children). These findings collectively suggest that the current credit program has room for modifications that would eliminate its negative impacts on young girls' schooling and improve children's welfare.;The third chapter evaluates the impact of women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) on children's school enrollment in Andhra Pradesh (India). In Andhra Pradesh, almost 70 percent of women belong to the SHGs, which have been closely related to microfinance services and other social action activities. The critical finding of this study is that while credit use has a marginal impact, SHG participation has a larger positive impact on girl's school enrollment. Furthermore, assessment of the continuous treatment reveals that the positive impact on girls increases as the duration of SHG participation becomes longer. The positive impact on girls, however, diminishes after around three years of participation, whereas the impact on boys becomes more evident. |
