Moving from controlled-centralized targeting to self-selection. The case of Progresa’s transition from urban to rural.
The end of the road: Effects of Progresa schooling cash transfers being (expectedly) cut (with Oscar Noriega).
Improving service delivery through motivation on the user end: An application with pregnancy care. (with Manett Vargas and Cesar Landín)
Abstract
There has been a recent research growth in the intersection between health and
behavioral economics. Some of this research has looked into the importance of the
framing of the information delivered. Most of this work has focused on emphasizing the
positive or negative effects of specific behaviors (e.g. quit smoking, improve diet, take a
specific treatment, etc.). In this trial we will test framing in a different sense: encouraging
beneficiaries to increase their effort without referring to the benefits or detriments of not
following a specific action. As part of a government pilot program called Prospera Digital,
pregnant women and mothers with babies less than two years old receive personalized
SMS with healthcare information. Our trial consists on making a small variation to the pilot
program with the objective of measuring the influence of motivational and socio-emotional
content (MSE content) on women’s behavior and their babies health outcomes. Two
sets of messages have been designed: (i) the first set of messages, the control arm,
removes most MSE content possible from the government trial program without affecting
the knowledge that the messages intend to transmit; (ii) the second set, the treatment arm,
exacerbates the MSE content without adding healthcare information
Supporting healthier pregnancies and early child development one text at a time: Can personalized text messages, increased community participation and incentives to service providers help improve pregnancy and early childhood outcomes? (with Stewart Kettle, Luke Ravenscroft, Cesar Landín and Manett Vargas).
Abstract
This project seeks to improve maternal health, birth outcomes and early child
development, by empowering mothers through a SMS information system. The SMS
information system is targeted at beneficiaries of Prospera, Mexico’s conditional cash
transfer programme (formerly known as Progresa and Oportunidades). The SMS
information system consists of appointment reminders, prompts to plan for birth and
emergencies, information on potential concerns, and preventative health care advice.
SMS are sent in a personalized manner using administrative information, medical records
and the responses from the beneficiaries to SMS. The two-way system also allows
beneficiaries to seek emergency care, report health concerns and change their regular
appointments.
Three treatments variations will be evaluated with a randomized control trial (RCT)
design. The first treatment arm will test the impact of the two-way information system. The
second variation will test the SMS system with additional messages from local community
members. Finally, the third group will test the SMS system with the additional component
of enabling beneficiaries to provide feedback on the health services received. The
feedback collected on the quality of the clinic services will be later used to provide
incentives to clinic personnel.
Rigorous evidence about potential changes in habits, knowledge, health service demand,
anthropometrics and developmental outcomes will be explored.
Race Against the Machine: Learning Improvements in a Data versus Expert-Driven Reading Intervention,” with Federico Molina and Maria Elena Ortega. Coming soon.