Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being

Cash transfer programs are often effective at increasing household consumption in their early years, but impacts become more nuanced over time as the use of transfers varies. This paper examines the medium-term effects of Egypt’s f lagship cash transfer program, Takaful, on several measures of house...

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Autores principales: Karachiwalla, Naureen, Gilligan, Daniel O., Kurdi, Sikandra
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168421
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author Karachiwalla, Naureen
Gilligan, Daniel O.
Kurdi, Sikandra
author_browse Gilligan, Daniel O.
Karachiwalla, Naureen
Kurdi, Sikandra
author_facet Karachiwalla, Naureen
Gilligan, Daniel O.
Kurdi, Sikandra
author_sort Karachiwalla, Naureen
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Cash transfer programs are often effective at increasing household consumption in their early years, but impacts become more nuanced over time as the use of transfers varies. This paper examines the medium-term effects of Egypt’s f lagship cash transfer program, Takaful, on several measures of household wellbeing using a regression discontinuity (RD) design. Findings reveal no significant impacts on household consumption (total, food or non-food), but notable decreases in monthly wage income that are comparable in magnitude to the average monthly transfer. Employment patterns are suggestive of a decrease in hours worked in formal labour among men. There are positive effects on asset ownership, particularly productive assets, indicating a shift toward longer-term investments. Reductions in informal debt suggest improved financial health among beneficiaries and increases in enrollment in primary and preparatory school suggest increased human capital investment as well. These results underscore the potential of cash transfer programs to foster economic stability and investments in the future, even in the absence of significant immediate consumption effects.
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spelling CGSpace1684212025-11-06T05:18:43Z Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being Karachiwalla, Naureen Gilligan, Daniel O. Kurdi, Sikandra cash transfers consumption assets investment schools health Cash transfer programs are often effective at increasing household consumption in their early years, but impacts become more nuanced over time as the use of transfers varies. This paper examines the medium-term effects of Egypt’s f lagship cash transfer program, Takaful, on several measures of household wellbeing using a regression discontinuity (RD) design. Findings reveal no significant impacts on household consumption (total, food or non-food), but notable decreases in monthly wage income that are comparable in magnitude to the average monthly transfer. Employment patterns are suggestive of a decrease in hours worked in formal labour among men. There are positive effects on asset ownership, particularly productive assets, indicating a shift toward longer-term investments. Reductions in informal debt suggest improved financial health among beneficiaries and increases in enrollment in primary and preparatory school suggest increased human capital investment as well. These results underscore the potential of cash transfer programs to foster economic stability and investments in the future, even in the absence of significant immediate consumption effects. 2024-12-30 2024-12-31T15:29:40Z 2024-12-31T15:29:40Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168421 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Karachiwalla, Naureen; Gilligan, Daniel O.; and Kurdi, Sikandra. 2024. Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being. MENA Working Paper 45. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168421
spellingShingle cash transfers
consumption
assets
investment
schools
health
Karachiwalla, Naureen
Gilligan, Daniel O.
Kurdi, Sikandra
Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being
title Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being
title_full Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being
title_fullStr Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being
title_full_unstemmed Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being
title_short Don’t spend it all in one place: The medium-term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well-being
title_sort don t spend it all in one place the medium term effects of a national cash transfer program on household well being
topic cash transfers
consumption
assets
investment
schools
health
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168421
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