(Un)Conditional Love in the Time of Conditional Cash Transfers: The Effect of the Peruvian JUNTOS Program on Spousal Abuse

Abstract

Cash transfer programs often target women as the recipient of the money. Unintentionally, this flow of unearned income may reduce spousal abuse. We investigate this possibility by assessing the Peruvian JUNTOS program. We exploit the staggered timing in the rollout of the program across municipalities along with its eligibility rule for determining participation to perform a difference-in-differences analysis. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, we find that JUNTOS reduced the prevalence of physical intimate partner violence by 25%–30%. Further analysis indicates that reductions in frequent alcohol consumption and alcohol-related aggression from male partners are behind this result.