The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali
Economic resilience requires future-oriented decision-making around income generation and protection in case of shocks. However, poverty is highly correlated with poor mental health, limiting forward-looking decision-making, thus perpetuating poverty. In this paper, we estimate the impacts of Mali's...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo preliminar |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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International Food Policy Research Institute
2020
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143576 |
| _version_ | 1855525626884128768 |
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| author | Hidrobo, Melissa Karachiwalla, Naureen Roy, Shalini |
| author_browse | Hidrobo, Melissa Karachiwalla, Naureen Roy, Shalini |
| author_facet | Hidrobo, Melissa Karachiwalla, Naureen Roy, Shalini |
| author_sort | Hidrobo, Melissa |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Economic resilience requires future-oriented decision-making around income generation and protection in case of shocks. However, poverty is highly correlated with poor mental health, limiting forward-looking decision-making, thus perpetuating poverty. In this paper, we estimate the impacts of Mali's national cash transfer program, Filets Sociaux (Jigis-émèjiri), on measures of psychological well-being, cognition, and time preferences. We find that receiving the program improved household decision-makers' perceptions of economic and food security and reduced their self-reported anxiety. While cognitive function was not a ected, recipients of the transfers experienced greater self-esteem and a modest increase in a measure of patience. Consistent with reduced stress, higher self-esteem, and increased patience, the program also increased investments in productive assets. Results suggest that, in addition to cash transfers providing the economic resources to support investments in the future, they may also build psychological resources for supporting these investments. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace143576 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1435762025-12-02T21:03:03Z The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali Hidrobo, Melissa Karachiwalla, Naureen Roy, Shalini mental health surveys health investment households social protection cash transfers decision making food security diet poverty resilience Economic resilience requires future-oriented decision-making around income generation and protection in case of shocks. However, poverty is highly correlated with poor mental health, limiting forward-looking decision-making, thus perpetuating poverty. In this paper, we estimate the impacts of Mali's national cash transfer program, Filets Sociaux (Jigis-émèjiri), on measures of psychological well-being, cognition, and time preferences. We find that receiving the program improved household decision-makers' perceptions of economic and food security and reduced their self-reported anxiety. While cognitive function was not a ected, recipients of the transfers experienced greater self-esteem and a modest increase in a measure of patience. Consistent with reduced stress, higher self-esteem, and increased patience, the program also increased investments in productive assets. Results suggest that, in addition to cash transfers providing the economic resources to support investments in the future, they may also build psychological resources for supporting these investments. 2020-12-01 2024-05-22T12:15:18Z 2024-05-22T12:15:18Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143576 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Hidrobo, Melissa; Karachiwalla, Naureen; and Roy, Shalini. 2020. The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1989. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134223. |
| spellingShingle | mental health surveys health investment households social protection cash transfers decision making food security diet poverty resilience Hidrobo, Melissa Karachiwalla, Naureen Roy, Shalini The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali |
| title | The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali |
| title_full | The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali |
| title_fullStr | The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali |
| title_short | The impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments: Experimental evidence from Mali |
| title_sort | impacts of cash transfers on mental health and investments experimental evidence from mali |
| topic | mental health surveys health investment households social protection cash transfers decision making food security diet poverty resilience |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143576 |
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