Discussion of Household Frictions and Reaching the Frontier

MWIEDC 2026

Samuel Kofi Tetteh-Baah

World Bank

2026-04-24

Discussion: Do we learn what the paper promises?

1. Identification of internal vs external constraints

  • Paper frames: PPF shift vs movement toward PPF
  • But I am not sure the experimental design cleanly separates the two
  • All treatment arms include the Graduation program (relaxing external constraints), while only one arm (Umodzi) directly targets internal frictions
    • Hard to quantify relative importance of internal vs external constraints

2. Is Umodzi a “pure” treatment effect?

  • Missing arm: Male-targeted + Umodzi (T4)
  • Current comparison: T3 vs T1
  • Effect = Umodzi in female-targeted household
  • Interpretation:
    • Likely an interaction effect, not a standalone Umodzi effect

Distribution and Interpretation

3. Pareto improvements vs inequality

  • Paper emphasizes Pareto gains
  • But:
    • Some outcomes improve for men (e.g., mental health)
    • Not always for women
  • Question: Can efficiency gains coexist with new inequalities?

Bottom line

  • Very compelling evidence that internal frictions are binding (e.g., coordination matters)
  • But:
    • Less clear how much it matters relative to resources
    • And through which distributional channels (some may take time)