Data and Code for "Equality of Opportunity and Human Capital Accumulation: Motivational Effect of a Nationwide Scholarship in Colombia"

We study the ex ante motivational effect of a
nationwide merit and need-based scholarship in Colombia, which granted full
scholarships to low-income students at high-quality universities. Specifically,
we analyze how the opportunity to receive the scholarship, influenced the
performance of low-income students in the national high-school exit and 9th
grade exams, and their university enrollment rates. Following a differences-in-discontinuity
design, we find that the opportunity to receive the scholarship significantly
increased test scores at the national high school exit exam at the top of the
distribution. At the 90th percentile of the distribution,
eligibility for the scholarship reduced the socioeconomic achievement gap by 16
percent. We also document an increase in the post-secondary enrollment of
low-income students at the top of their score distribution, even for the non-recipients
of the scholarship. Finally, we estimate a positive effect on the test scores
of younger 9th grade students, affecting a broader range of the
distribution. Our results highlight how opportunities for social mobility encourage
human capital accumulation by low-income students, thus contributing to break
the persistence of poverty and inequality.