Evaluating and Improving the Educational Impacts of Solar Lights

Solar lanterns have been promoted as a way to improve educational results by allowing students to study more effectively. But despite the sale of millions of solar lanterns in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is virtually no evidence linking solar lantern ownership to educational outcomes (or rising incomes expected as a result). We will conduct a long term, randomized control trial (RCT) measuring the impacts of solar lanterns on school performance and study habits. The study will also test for peer effects within schools and track the direct economic impacts of solar lantern ownership on a subset of households. The results will help socially-oriented enterprises to design their products and distribution programs, and governments to develop better supporting policies to improved education and reduce poverty. Stanford will build partnerships in the region and develop new capacities in tablet-based surveys, educational measurements, and large scale RCTs focused on development outcomes.