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Laptops in the Long Run: Evidence from the One Laptop per Child Program in Rural Peru Santiago Cueto, Diether W. Beuermann, Julian Cristia, Ofer Malamud & Francisco Pardo Share X LinkedIn Facebook Bluesky Threads Email Link Working Paper 34495 DOI 10.3386/w34495 Issue Date November 2025 This paper examines a large-scale randomized evaluation of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program in 531 Peruvian rural primary schools. We use administrative data on academic performance and grade progression over 10 years to estimate the long-run effects of increased computer access on (i) school performance over time and (ii) students' educational trajectories. Following schools over time, we find no significant effects on academic performance but some evidence of negative effects on grade progression. Following students over time, we find no significant effects on primary and secondary completion, academic performance in secondary school, or university enrollment. Survey data indicate that computer access significantly improved students' computer skills but not their cognitive skills; treated teachers received some training but did not improve their digital skills and showed limited use of technology in classrooms, suggesting the need for additional pedagogical support. * Acknowledgements and Disclosures We are indebted to Antonio Campos and Luis Angel Mejia for directing the process to match the administrative records needed for this study. Lisseth Escalante and Alfonso Rodriguez Saldarriaga provided excellent research assistance. We recognize the contributions of Pablo Ibarraran, Ana Santiago and Eugenio Severin in the original randomization implemented for the development of this study. The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the Inter-American Development Bank. The content and findings of this paper reflect the opinions of the authors and not those of the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Directors, the countries they represent, or the National Bureau of Economic Research. * Citation and Citation Data Copy Citation Santiago Cueto, Diether W. Beuermann, Julian Cristia, Ofer Malamud, and Francisco Pardo, "Laptops in the Long Run: Evidence from the One Laptop per Child Program in Rural Peru," NBER Working Paper 34495 (2025), https://doi.org/10.3386/w34495. Copy to Clipboard Download Citation (*) MARC ( ) RIS ( ) BibTeKh Download Citation Data Published Versions Santiago Cueto & Diether W. Beuermann & Julian Cristia & Ofer Malamud & Francisco Pardo, 2025. "Laptops in the long run: Evidence from the one laptop per child program in rural Peru," Journal of Public Economics, vol 252. 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