Five-Year Impacts of Group-Based Financial Education and Savings Promotion for Ugandan Youth

Samantha Horn; Julian Jamison; Dean Karlan; Jonathan Zinman

doi:10.1162/rest_a_01337

Five-Year Impacts of Group-Based Financial Education and Savings Promotion for Ugandan Youth

Samantha Horn¹; Julian Jamison²; Dean Karlan³; Jonathan Zinman⁴

¹ University of Chicago · ² University of Exeter · ³ Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University · ⁴ Dartmouth College

The Review of Economics and Statistics 2026

Abstract We experimentally evaluate group-based financial education, savings account access, or both for members of Ugandan youth groups. We measure both short- and long-run impacts with one- and five-year endline household surveys. Education, but not account access, increases measured financial knowledge and trust at one year. At five years, knowledge effects essentially disappear, and trust effects weaken. However, savings and income increase for each treatment at both endlines, which is noteworthy given the interventions’ low cost and the long time horizon of our second endline. Exploring potential mechanisms, we find evidence consistent with multiple pathways to behavior change and outcome improvement.

DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01337
Volume: 108 (1)
Pages: 257-271
Language: en
Export: BibTeX
Sources: openalex crossref