Work

Cash Transfers, Behavioral Changes, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Cash transfer programs have become extremely popular in the developing world. A large literature analyzes their effects on schooling, health and nutrition, but relatively little is known about possible impacts on child development. This paper analyzes the impact of a cash transfer program on early childhood cognitive development. Children in households randomly assigned to receive benefits had significantly higher levels of development nine months after the program began. There is no fade-out of program effects two years after the program ended. Additional random variation shows that these impacts are unlikely to result from the cash component of the program alone. (JEL H23, I15, J13, O15)

Source: American Economic Journal Applied Economics

DOI: 10.1257/app.4.2.247

Authors: Karen Macours, Norbert Schady, Renos Vakis

Institutions: Paris School of Economics, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank

Language: English

Topic: Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: No poverty, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W3022304362

FWCI: 34.93

Cites: 86

Cited by: 224

Related to: 10