GTAP Resources: Resource Display
| GTAP Resource #7775 |
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"The Economywide Impacts of School Meals: Simulation Results for Ghana and Malawi" Authors: Pauw, Karl, Aulo Gelli and Mangani Katundu Abstract School meal programs are widely implemented social protection and human capital interventions, yet their broader economywide impacts remain insufficiently understood. This study applies an economywide model combined with microsimulation and environmental modules to assess the economic, welfare, and environmental impacts of school meal programs in Ghana and Malawi. The analysis captures short-run effects through production, consumption, and labor market linkages, as well as long-run benefits arising from improvements in human capital and labor productivity. Results show that school meals generate modest but positive short-run welfare effects, including reductions in poverty and improvements in diet quality among rural households. At the macroeconomic level, short-run economywide benefit–cost ratios (BCRs) range from 1.24 in Malawi to 1.56 in Ghana under current program designs. Over the longer term, human capital gains substantially increase returns, with the present value of future economic benefits equivalent to 26 percent of current GDP in Malawi and 29 percent in Ghana. Over this horizon, BCRs are more than three times larger than short-run estimates. These findings highlight the potential of school meal programs—under current designs or with higher-quality meals or expanded coverage—as economically viable long-term investments in human capital and inclusive economic development. |
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- Domestic policy analysis - Advances in quantitative methods - Africa (East) - Africa (West) |
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Public Access  GTAP Resource 7775 (624.9 KB) Replicated: 0 time(s)Restricted Access No documents have been attached. Special Instructions No instructions have been specified. |
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Last Modified: 4/30/2026 12:56:16 PM
