Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme
Economists often default to the assumption that cash is always preferable to an in-kind transfer. Do beneficiaries feel the same way? This paper addresses this issue using longitudinal household data from Ethiopia, where a large-scale social safety net intervention (PSNP) operates. Even though most...
| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
World Bank
2021
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142931 |
| _version_ | 1855520627682705408 |
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| author | Hirvonen, Kalle Hoddinott, John F. |
| author_browse | Hirvonen, Kalle Hoddinott, John F. |
| author_facet | Hirvonen, Kalle Hoddinott, John F. |
| author_sort | Hirvonen, Kalle |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Economists often default to the assumption that cash is always preferable to an in-kind transfer. Do beneficiaries feel the same way? This paper addresses this issue using longitudinal household data from Ethiopia, where a large-scale social safety net intervention (PSNP) operates. Even though most payments are made in cash, and even though the (temporal) transaction costs associated with food payments are higher than payments received as cash, most beneficiaries stated that they prefer their payments only or partly in food. Higher food prices induce shifts in stated preferences toward in-kind transfers. More food-secure households, those closer to food markets and to financial services are more likely to prefer cash. Though shifts occur, the stated preference for food is dominant: In no year do more than 17 percent of households prefer only cash. There is suggestive evidence that stated preferences for food are also driven by self-control concerns. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace142931 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | World Bank |
| publisherStr | World Bank |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1429312025-12-08T10:11:39Z Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme Hirvonen, Kalle Hoddinott, John F. programmes households social protection food access food transfer food security cash transfers cash flow food aid Economists often default to the assumption that cash is always preferable to an in-kind transfer. Do beneficiaries feel the same way? This paper addresses this issue using longitudinal household data from Ethiopia, where a large-scale social safety net intervention (PSNP) operates. Even though most payments are made in cash, and even though the (temporal) transaction costs associated with food payments are higher than payments received as cash, most beneficiaries stated that they prefer their payments only or partly in food. Higher food prices induce shifts in stated preferences toward in-kind transfers. More food-secure households, those closer to food markets and to financial services are more likely to prefer cash. Though shifts occur, the stated preference for food is dominant: In no year do more than 17 percent of households prefer only cash. There is suggestive evidence that stated preferences for food are also driven by self-control concerns. 2021-05-01 2024-05-22T12:11:20Z 2024-05-22T12:11:20Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142931 en https://hdl.handle.net/10986/33261 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/145532 https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12515 Open Access World Bank Hirvonen, Kalle; and Hoddinott, John F. 2021. Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme. World Bank Economic Review 35(2): 398–413. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhaa002 |
| spellingShingle | programmes households social protection food access food transfer food security cash transfers cash flow food aid Hirvonen, Kalle Hoddinott, John F. Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme |
| title | Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme |
| title_full | Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme |
| title_fullStr | Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme |
| title_short | Beneficiary views on cash and in-kind payments: Evidence from Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme |
| title_sort | beneficiary views on cash and in kind payments evidence from ethiopia s productive safety net programme |
| topic | programmes households social protection food access food transfer food security cash transfers cash flow food aid |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/142931 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hirvonenkalle beneficiaryviewsoncashandinkindpaymentsevidencefromethiopiasproductivesafetynetprogramme AT hoddinottjohnf beneficiaryviewsoncashandinkindpaymentsevidencefromethiopiasproductivesafetynetprogramme |