Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T05:57:32.982Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Impact of Cash Transfers: A Review of the Evidence from Low- and Middle-income Countries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2018

FRANCESCA BASTAGLI ,
JESSICA HAGEN-ZANKER ,
LUKE HARMAN ,
VALENTINA BARCA ,
GEORGINA STURGE  and
TANJA SCHMIDT
FRANCESCA BASTAGLI
Affiliation:
Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ, United Kingdom email: [email protected]
JESSICA HAGEN-ZANKER
Affiliation:
Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ, United Kingdom email: [email protected]
LUKE HARMAN
Affiliation:
Save the Children, 1 St John's Lane, London EC1M 4AR email: [email protected]
VALENTINA BARCA
Affiliation:
Oxford Policy Management, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom email: [email protected]
GEORGINA STURGE
Affiliation:
Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ, United Kingdom email: [email protected]
TANJA SCHMIDT
Affiliation:
Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ, United Kingdom email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a review of the impact of non-contributory cash transfers on individuals and households in low- and middle-income countries, covering the literature of 15 years, from 2000 to 2015. Based on evidence extracted from 165 studies, retrieved through a systematic search and screening process, this article discusses the impact of cash transfers on 35 indicators covering six outcome areas: monetary poverty; education; health and nutrition; savings, investment and production; work; and empowerment. For most of the studies, cash transfers contributed to progress in the selected indicators in the direction intended by policymakers. Despite variations in the size and strength of the underlying evidence base by outcome and indicator, this finding is consistent across all outcome areas. The article also investigates unintended effects of cash transfer receipt, such as potential reductions in adult work effort and increased fertility, finding limited evidence for such unintended effects. Finally, the article highlights gaps in the evidence base and areas which would benefit from additional future research.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 48 , Issue 3 , July 2019 , pp. 569 - 594
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Institutes for Research [AIR] (2014), Zambia's Child Grant Program: 36-month impact report. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.Google Scholar
Akresh, R., de Walque, D. and Kazianga, H. (2013), Cash transfers and child schooling: evidence from a randomized evaluation of the role of conditionality. Policy Research Working Paper Series 6340. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Alam, A. and Baez, J. (2011), Does cash for school influence young women's behavior in the longer term? Evidence from Pakistan. Policy Research Working Paper 5669. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Asfaw, S., Davis, B., Josh, D., Handa, S. and Winters, P. (2014), Cash transfer programme, productive activities and labour supply: evidence from a randomised experiment in Kenya, Journal of Development Studies 50 (8); 1172–1196.Google Scholar
Baez, J. E. and Camacho, A. (2011), Assessing the long-term effects of conditional cash transfers on human capital: evidence from Colombia, Policy Research Working Paper Series 5681, Washington, D.C.: World Bank.Google Scholar
Barrera-Osorio, F., Bertrand, M., Linden, L. and Perez-Calle, F. (2008), Conditional cash transfers in education design features, peer and sibling effects evidence from a randomized experiment in Colombia. Working Paper 13890. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.Google Scholar
Barrientos, A. (2013), Social assistance in developing countries, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Bastagli, F., Hagen-Zanker, J., Harman, H., Barca, V., Sturge, G., Schmidt, T. and Pellerano, L. (2016), Cash transfers: What does the evidence say? A rigorous review of programme impact and of the role of deisgn and implementation features, ODI Report.Google Scholar
Bazzi, S., Sumarto, S. and Suryahadi, A. (2012), Evaluating Indonesia's unconditional cash transfer programme, 2005–2006. Grantee Final Report. New Delhi: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie).Google Scholar
Cheema, I., Farhat, M., Hunt, S., Javeed, S., Pellerano, L. and O'Leary, S. (2014), Benazir Income Support Programme: first follow-up impact evaluation report. Oxford: Oxford Policy Management.Google Scholar
Dabalen, A., Kilic, T. and Wane, W. (2008), Social transfers, labour supply and poverty reduction: the case of Albania. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 4783. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Davis, B., Handa, S., Ruiz Arranz, M., Stampini, M. and Winters, P. (2002), Conditionality and the impact of programme design on household welfare: comparing two diverse cash transfer programmes in rural Mexico. Working Paper 02–10. Rome: FAO.Google Scholar
Department for International Development [DFID] (2014), Analysis of Qualitative Data in Evaluation and Research “How-to” Note. London: UK Department for International Development.Google Scholar
Evans, D.K., Hauslade, S., Kosec, K. and Reese, N. (2014), Community-based conditional cash transfers in Tanzania: results from a randomized trial. World Bank Study. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Farmer, A. and Tiefenthaler, J. (1997), An economic analysis of domestic violence. Review of Social Economy 55: 337–358.Google Scholar
Galiani, S., Gertler, P. and Bando, R. (2014), Non-contributory pensions. IDB Working Paper Series 517. Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank.Google Scholar
Handa, S., Park, M., Darko, R.O., Osei-Akoto, I., Davis, B. and Daidone, S. (2014), Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty program impact evaluation. Report. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina.Google Scholar
Hanlon, J., Barrientos, A. and Hulme, D. (2010), Just give money to the poor: the development revolution from the global South. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press.Google Scholar
Harman, L., Bastagli, F., Hagen-Zanker, J., Sturge, G. and Barca, V. (2016), Cash transfers: what does the evidence say? An annotated bibliography. London: Overseas Development Institute.Google Scholar
Higgins, J., Altman, D. G., Gotzsche, P. C., Juni, P., Moher, D., Oxman, D. A., Savović, J., Schulz, K. F., Weeks, L. and Sterne, J. A. (2011), “The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials.” Bmj 343 (2011): d5928.Google Scholar
Hombrados, J. and Waddington, H. (2012), Risk of bias assessment for experimental and quasi-experimental designs based on statistical methods, Presentation, 3ie.Google Scholar
Honorati, M., Gentilini, U. and Yemtsov, R. G. (2015), The state of social safety nets 2015. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.Google Scholar
ILO (2014), World Social Protection Report 2014/15, Geneva: International Labour Organisation.Google Scholar
Kassouf, A.L. and De Oliveira, P.R. (2012), Impact evaluation of the Brazilian non-contributory pension program Benefício de Prestação Continuada (BPC) on family welfare. Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) Working Paper 2012-12. Nairobi: PEP.Google Scholar
Levy, D. and Ohls, J. (2007), Evaluation of Jamaica's PATH Program. Final Report. Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.Google Scholar
Macours, K., Schady, N. and Vakis, R. (2012), ‘Cash transfers, behavioral changes, and cognitive development in early childhood’, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 4 (2): 247–273.Google Scholar
Merttens, F., Hurrell, A., Marzi, M., Attah, R., Farhat, M., Kardan, A. and MacAuslan, I. (2013), Kenya hunger safety net programme monitoring and evaluation component impact evaluation final report: 2009 to 2012. Oxford: Oxford Policy Management.Google Scholar
Merttens, F., Pellerano, L., O'Leary, S., Sindou, E., Attah, R., Jones, E. and Martin, S. (2015), Evaluation of the Uganda Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) Programme: impact after one year of programme operations 2012–2013. Evaluation Report. Oxford: Oxford Policy Management and Kampala: Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Makerere.Google Scholar
Perova, E. and Vakis, R. (2012), Five years in Juntos: new evidence on the program's short andlong-term impacts, Economía 35 (69): 53–82.Google Scholar
Ribas, R. P., Soares, F. V., Teixeira, S. C., Silva, E. and Hirata, G. (2010), Beyond cash: assessing externality and behaviour effects of non-experimental cash transfers. Working Paper 65. Brasilia: International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.Google Scholar
Tauchen, H. V., Witte, A. D. and Long, S. K. (1991), Domestic Violence: A Nonrandom Affair. International Economic Review 32 (2): 491–511.Google Scholar
Schady, N. and Araujo, M.C. (2006), Cash transfers, conditions, school enrollment, and child work: evidence from a randomized experiment in Ecuador. Policy Research Working Paper Series 3930. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Siaplay, M. (2012), ‘The impact of social cash transfers on young adults’ labor force participation, schooling, and sexual behaviors in South Africa’. PhD. Oklahoma State University.Google Scholar
Skoufias, E. and Di Maro, V. (2008), Conditional cash transfers, adult work incentives, and poverty, Journal of Development Studies 44 (7): 935–960.Google Scholar
Skoufias, E., Unar, M. and Gonzalez de Cossio, T. (2013), The poverty impacts of cash and in-kind transfers: experimental evidence from rural Mexico, Journal of Development Effectiveness 5 (4): 401–429.Google Scholar
Spencer, L., Ritchie, J., Lewis, J. and Dillon, L. (2003), Quality in qualitative evaluation: a framework for assessing research evidence. London: Cabinet Office.Google Scholar
Stecklov, G., Winters, P., Todd, J. and Regalia, F. (2006), Demographic externalities from poverty programs in developing countries: experimental evidence from Latin America. Working Paper 2006-1, Washington, DC: American University, Department of Economics.Google Scholar
Stecklov, G., Winters, P., Todd, J. and Regalia, F. (2007), Unintended effects of poverty programmes on childbearing in less developed countries: experimental evidence from Latin America, Population Studies 61 (2): 125–140.Google Scholar
Waddington, H., White, H., Snilstveit, B., Garcia Hombrados, J., Vojtkova, M., Davies, P., Bhavsar, A., Eyers, J., Perez Koehlmoos, T., Petticrew, M., Valentine, J. C. and Tugwell, P. (2012), How to Do a Good Systematic Review of Effects in International Development: A Tool Kit. Journal of Development Effectiveness 4 (3): 359–387.Google Scholar
Yoong, J., Rabinovich, L. and Diepeveen, S. (2012), The impact of economic resource transfers to women versus men: a systematic review. Technical Report. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Bastagli et al. supplementary material

Bastagli et al. supplementary material 1

Download Bastagli et al. supplementary material(File)
File 268.7 KB