Undeterred, the economists started to think about the problem in a fresh way. They tried something completely new: a de-worming medication. This may seem like a curious way to improve education, but researchers were aware that these parasites stunt growth, cause children to feel lethargic, and lead to absenteeism. They disproportionately affect children in remote communities, just like those in Busia and Teso. This time the results were excellent. They vastly exceeded the expectations of the researchers. As Tim Harford put it: ‘The programme was a huge success, boosting children’s height,
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