Loose knots: Strong versus weak commitments to save for education in Uganda
在乌干达学校中比较了两种教育储蓄账户：强承诺（仅限教育支出）与弱承诺（可提取现金），发现弱承诺账户结合家长外联更能促进教育支出和提高考试成绩，而强承诺账户无显著效果。
Commitment devices offer an opportunity to restrict future choices. However, strict commitments may deter participation. Using a school-based commitment savings program for children to save for educational expenses in Uganda, we compare an account fully committed to school expenses to an account with a weaker commitment (funds withdrawn in cash, rather than a voucher). Children save more in the weaker commitment treatment arm, and when combined with parental outreach spend more on educational supplies and score 0.10 standard deviations (standard error = 0.04) on test scores. The fully committed account yields no such educational improvements, and neither account finds impacts on secondary or downstream outcomes such as attendance, enrollment, or non-cognitive skills. • Tethered funds restrain. • Yet weaker bonds free the mind—. • Learning finds its path. • And we learn that AI converts abstract to haiku-highlights quite well.