Evaluating the Kenya Voucher Programme

• Autores: David C. Phillips, William Steel
• Localización: Enterprise development & microfinance, ISSN 1755-1978, Vol. 14, Nº. 4, 2003, págs. 39-48
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • BDS interventions that subsidize transactions are often thought to hinder market development by signalling that BDS can be obtained at an artificially low price. The justification for voucher programmes has been that MSEs are offered the chance to try out training at a temporarily reduced price, and if service providers respond to this opportunity, MSEs' lack of experience of the benefits of training is overcome, and they continue to purchase training at a higher level in future. This article discusses the economic rationale for intervention, then considers how to measure the short- and long-term development effects of incentives such as voucher and matching grant schemes. This is illustrated through an evaluation of the development impact of a recently ended voucher programme in Kenya, which shows signs of success in creating permanent market expansion in BDS training for MSEs.