Treasure hunting: an impact evaluation on the National Treasury financial, fiscal and social participation educational program

• Ano de defesa: 2024
• Autor(a) principal: Serson, Renata Reis
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Avaliação de impacto; Educação cívica; Educação financeira; Educação fiscal; Engajamento escolar; Experimento controlado randomizado; Financial education; Fiscal education; Program evaluation; Randomized control trial; School engagement; Social participation education
• Link de acesso: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/12/12138/tde-14022025-185809/

This dissertation evaluates the short-term impact of a multidimensional educational intervention designed to enhance financial, fiscal, and social participation (SP) literacy among young students in Brazil. The program targets 4th and 5th grade students (9-and 10-year-olds) in public schools and employs a ludic approach, integrating well-known cartoon characters into its textbooks. Implemented as a randomized control trial across 106 schools (half of them treated), the intervention spanned 11 weeks, incorporating structured activities and interactive materials into the curriculum. Immediately following the program implementation, data from close to 14.000 students indicate significant knowledge gains, with increases of approximately 8% in financial and fiscal literacy and 7% in SP proficiency. Additionally, the intervention positively influenced self-reported financial behaviors, school engagement, and family communication about financial topics. These findings suggest some importance of integrating financial with fiscal and civic education, as this approach can generate significant short-term impacts on young students. This is particularly relevant for developing countries, where high levels of household debt, low savings rates, and limited financial awareness pose substantial economic challenges.