Quasi-experimental Impact Assessment: Evaluating Urban Centers of Culture, Art, Science and Sports in Brazil
Impact evaluation
In this article we examine the effects that attending the CUCA network has had on
the lives of young people living in Fortaleza (Brazil). Through a quasi-experiment
we carried out an impact assessment to verify the hypothesis that attending CUCA
units positively affects young people's lives in the following aspects: family life;
social-emotional skills; performance in studies; awareness of citizenship rights;
preparation for the labor market; mitigation of illicit drug use; and awareness
about how to avoid unwanted pregnancies and / or STDs. In addition, we examine
the possibility that the presence of the CUCA provokes an increase in the sense of
security in the neighborhood where it is situated. To measure the above mentioned
impacts, we use difference-in-difference regression models, in addition to Logit and
Probit models. This paper is part of an evaluation work carried out at the request of
the Inter-American Development Bank.