A ‘smart buy' for all? Unequal and unintended consequences of a messaging program for child education

Abstract

Through a large-scale household-randomized trial, we document divergent and unintended effects of a SMS-nudge parenting intervention in Ghana. For parents with some exposure to formal schooling, the program supported parental education engagement, child school participation and social-emotional skills. Conversely, for parents with no schooling, the program backfired, exacerbating educational inequality. Messages also lowered parental selfefficacy, educational aspirations, and the perceived importance of regular school attendance among parents with no schooling. As light-touch, low-tech strategies integrate into education systems to combat the global learning crisis, these findings caution against potential unintended and distributional consequences, particularly in rural, low-literacy contexts.