Effects Of Unconditional Cash Transfers Research Articles

Unconditional cash transfers, health and savings

This paper examines the relationship between a national unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) program, health and savings. We theoretically and empirically show that motives to save can be strong when cash transfers promote health outcomes. We first present a theoretical model that considers lifecycle-consumption savings decisions, where households derive utility from consumption and leisure time at working age, as well as old-age consumption and old-age longevity that positively depend on health spending. We then empirically examine the impact of Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme on various indicators of savings and provide suggestive evidence on how UCTs influence savings via health. We find that in the short and medium term, UCTs increase the probability that a household decides to save and have significant positive effects on the rates and amounts of household savings. The effects of UCTs are more pronounced on informal compared to formal savings. The results present exploratory and suggestive evidence that health is a mechanism through which UCTs transmit to savings. These findings are consistent with our theoretical predictions.

The short-lived effects of unconditional cash transfers to refugees

We study two year-long unconditional cash-based assistance programs for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and show that they improve consumption, child well-being, food security, and reduce livelihood coping. Despite high transfer values, we find no evidence of lasting effects at six months after either program ends. Households spend transfers on basic needs and take children out of work and re-enroll them in school. Beneficiaries increase cash savings and their stock of durable goods, but liquidate and spend these assets during or soon after the beneficiary period. The results are similar for longer assistance periods and across transfer modalities.

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), what are the effects of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) on health service use, health outcomes, and social determinants of health?

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), what are the effects of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) on health service use, health outcomes, and social determinants of health?

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), what are the effects of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) on health service use, health outcomes, and social determinants of health?

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), what are the effects of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) on health service use, health outcomes, and social determinants of health?

What are the effects of unconditional cash transfers for humanitarian disasters on use of health services and health outcomes?

What are the effects of unconditional cash transfers for humanitarian disasters on use of health services and health outcomes?

Long run educational and spillover effects of unconditional cash transfers: Evidence from South Africa

Cash transfer (CT) policy is promoted as an important financial vehicle to address household poverty and bring positive societal development. This study investigates the impact of an unconditional CT policy on children’s education outcomes focusing on both the primary and secondary phases of education. We also examine the spillover effect of CT policy on parents’ employment. To identify these effects we focus on South Africa and exploit the changes in age eligibility requirements of the CT policy to build credible control and treatment groups based on birth cohort. Our results show that CT policy improves reading and writing abilities at both the primary (by 3.7% and 3.3% respectively) and secondary education levels (by 10.2% and 10.1%, respectively) but it fosters school attendance only in secondary education. We also provide evidence that, for primary education students, the effects are only significant for boys. Notably, the positive effects of CT programs are also confirmed by the presence of spillover effects to other members of the family in our observance of increases in both mothers’ and fathers’ employment outcomes (by 35% and 34%, respectively). Therefore, in this paper we provide robust evidence that unconditional CT policy supports resilient development of the country’s population in several dimensions that go beyond the educational achievement of targeted children.

Reducing Adolescent Risky Behaviors in a High-Risk Context: The Effects of Unconditional Cash Transfers in South Africa

South African adolescents living in poverty are at significant risk for negative outcomes associated with risky sexual activity and substance use. The South African government introduced the Child Support Grant (CSG) to reduce poverty and provide protection from these risks. We use variation in grant receipt by age to estimate potential effects of this unconditional cash transfer program on adolescent outcomes. The study findings suggest that the CSG may play an important role in reducing adolescent risky behaviors, particularly early sexual debut among females. The results also suggest that policy efforts to expand grant access to children up to adulthood and to reduce barriers to maintaining grant access for those living in poverty should improve outcomes for South African adolescents.

Effects of unconditional cash transfers on the outcome of treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM): a cluster-randomised trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

BackgroundCash transfer programs (CTPs) aim to strengthen financial security for vulnerable households. This potentially enables improvements in diet, hygiene, health service access and investment in food production or income generation. The effect of CTPs on the outcome of children already severely malnourished is not well delineated. The objective of this study was to test whether CTPs will improve the outcome of children treated for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over 6 months.MethodsWe conducted a cluster-randomised controlled trial in children with uncomplicated SAM who received treatment according to the national protocol and counselling with or without a cash supplement of US$40 monthly for 6 months. Analyses were by intention to treat.ResultsThe hazard ratio of reaching full recovery from SAM was 35% higher in the intervention group than the control group (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10 to 1.69, P = 0.007). The adjusted hazard ratios in the intervention group for relapse to moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and SAM were 0.21 (95% CI = 0.11 to 0.41, P = 0.001) and 0.30 (95% CI = 0.16 to 0.58, P = 0.001) respectively. Non-response and defaulting were lower when the households received cash. All the nutritional outcomes in the intervention group were significantly better than those in the control group. After 6 months, 80% of cash-intervened children had re-gained their mid-upper arm circumference measurements and weight-for-height/length Z-scores and showed evidence of catch-up. Less than 40% of the control group had a fully successful outcome, with many deteriorating after discharge. There was a significant increase in diet diversity and food consumption scores for both groups from baseline; the increase was significantly greater in the intervention group than the control group.ConclusionsCTPs can increase recovery from SAM and decrease default, non-response and relapse rates during and following treatment. Household developmental support is critical in food insecure areas to maximise the efficiency of SAM treatment programs.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02460848. Registered on 27 May 2015.

Intended and Unintended Effects of Unconditional Cash Transfers: The Case of Bolivia's Renta Dignidad

This document presents a quasi-experimental impact evaluation of Bolivia's Renta Dignidad, a universal and non-contributory old age pension. Causal effects on direct, future, and indirect beneficiaries are identified, taking advantage of a reduction in age of eligibility from 65 to 60 years in December 2007. Differencein- difference and changes-in-changes approaches are used to calculate average and quantile treatment effects. For women, non-contributory pensions have, on average, increased their households' non-labor income. This has decreased their labor supply and labor earnings, in turn decreasing households' labor income and thus reducing, ceteris paribus, the program's effect on total per capita household income. Unexpectedly, the program did not have significant effects on men's welfare, investments and labor market outcomes. The results also suggest that additional resources were neither consumed nor invested in health, education, or the purchase of durables. Households most likely held the additional resources and invested in dwelling improvements.

Effects of unconditional and conditional cash transfers on child health and development in Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial

SummaryBackgroundCash-transfer programmes can improve the wellbeing of vulnerable children, but few studies have rigorously assessed their effectiveness in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the effects of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) and conditional cash transfers (CCTs) on birth registration, vaccination uptake, and school attendance in children in Zimbabwe.MethodsWe did a matched, cluster-randomised controlled trial in ten sites in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. We divided each study site into three clusters. After a baseline survey between July, and September, 2009, clusters in each site were randomly assigned to UCT, CCT, or control, by drawing of lots from a hat. Eligible households contained children younger than 18 years and satisfied at least one other criteria: head of household was younger than 18 years; household cared for at least one orphan younger than 18 years, a disabled person, or an individual who was chronically ill; or household was in poorest wealth quintile. Between January, 2010, and January, 2011, households in UCT clusters collected payments every 2 months. Households in CCT clusters could receive the same amount but were monitored for compliance with several conditions related to child wellbeing. Eligible households in all clusters, including control clusters, had access to parenting skills classes and received maize seed and fertiliser in December, 2009, and August, 2010. Households and individuals delivering the intervention were not masked, but data analysts were. The primary endpoints were proportion of children younger than 5 years with a birth certificate, proportion younger than 5 years with up-to-date vaccinations, and proportion aged 6–12 years attending school at least 80% of the time. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00966849.Findings1199 eligible households were allocated to the control group, 1525 to the UCT group, and 1319 to the CCT group. Compared with control clusters, the proportion of children aged 0–4 years with birth certificates had increased by 1·5% (95% CI −7·1 to 10·1) in the UCT group and by 16·4% (7·8–25·0) in the CCT group by the end of the intervention period. The proportions of children aged 0–4 years with complete vaccination records was 3·1% (−3·8 to 9·9) greater in the UCT group and 1·8% (−5·0 to 8·7) greater in the CCT group than in the control group. The proportions of children aged 6–12 years who attended school at least 80% of the time was 7·2% (0·8–13·7) higher in the UCT group and 7·6% (1·2–14·1) in the CCT group than in the control group.InterpretationOur results support strategies to integrate cash transfers into social welfare programming in sub-Saharan Africa, but further evidence is needed for the comparative effectiveness of UCT and CCT programmes in this region.FundingWellcome Trust, the World Bank through the Partnership for Child Development, and the Programme of Support for the Zimbabwe National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children.

Young Adult Obesity and Household Income: Effects of Unconditional Cash Transfers.

We investigate the effect of household cash transfers during childhood on young adult body mass indexes (BMI). The effects of extra income differ depending on the household's initial socioeconomic status (SES). Children from the initially poorest households have a larger increase in BMI relative to children from initially wealthier households. Several alternative mechanisms are examined. Initial SES holds up as the most likely channel behind the heterogeneous effects of extra income on young adult BMI. (JEL D14, H23, H75, I12, J13, J15).

Are cash transfers made to women spent like other sources of income?

We use a randomized design to analyze the effects of unconditional cash transfers to women on the food Engel curve. After the intervention, households assigned to the “treatment” group had significantly higher food shares than those assigned to the “control” group.

Will Developing Country Nutrition Improve with Income? A Case Study for Rural South India

Aggregate estimates of food expenditure are consistent with such a possibility, implying income/expenditure elasticities close to one. However, the high degree of aggregation at which such estimates are made means that the considerable increase in price per nutrient as income increases is ignored, and the nutrient elasticities are therefore overstated. Estimates for a rural south Indian sample indicate that this bias is considerable and that the true nutrient elasticities with respect to income may be close to zero.