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Children on the move: Progressive redistribution of humanitarian cash transfers among refugees

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  • Özler, Berk
  • Çelik, Çiğdem
  • Cunningham, Scott
  • Cuevas, P. Facundo
  • Parisotto, Luca

Abstract

We evaluate the impact of the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) in Turkey, the largest cash transfer program for international refugees in the world. We provide prima facie evidence that the program quickly caused substantial changes in household size and composition, with a net movement of primarily school-aged children from ineligible to eligible households. As a result, we observe a sharp decline in poverty and inequality in the entire study population. ESSN also caused a moderate increase in the diversity and frequency of food consumption among eligible households. To strike the right balance between transfer size and coverage, key parameters in the design of any cash transfer program, policymakers should consider the possibility that refugee populations may respond to their eligibility status by altering their household structure and living arrangements.

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  • Özler, Berk & Çelik, Çiğdem & Cunningham, Scott & Cuevas, P. Facundo & Parisotto, Luca, 2021. "Children on the move: Progressive redistribution of humanitarian cash transfers among refugees," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:deveco:v:153:y:2021:i:c:s030438782100105x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102733
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    Cited by:

    1. Shamsuddin,Mrittika & Acosta,Pablo Ariel & Battaglin Schwengber,Rovane & Fix,Jedediah Rooney & Pirani,Nikolas, 2021. "Integration of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Brazil," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9605, The World Bank.
    2. Kırdar, Murat Güray & Koç, İsmet & Dayıoğlu, Meltem, 2023. "School integration of Syrian refugee children in Turkey," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    3. Murat Guray Kirdar & Ismet Koc & Meltem Dayıoglu, 2021. "School Integration of Refugee Children: Evidence from the Largest Refugee Group in any Country," Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum Working Papers 2116, Koc University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum.
    4. Altındağ, Onur & O’Connell, Stephen D., 2023. "The short-lived effects of unconditional cash transfers to refugees," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    5. Jeong,Dahyeon & Trako,Iva, 2022. "Cash and In-Kind Transfers in Humanitarian Settings : A Review of Evidence and Knowledge Gaps," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10026, The World Bank.
    6. Hızıroğlu Aygün, Aysun & Kırdar, Murat Güray & Koyuncu, Murat & Stoeffler, Quentin, 2024. "Keeping refugee children in school and out of work: Evidence from the world's largest humanitarian cash transfer program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    7. Gazeaud, Jules & Khan, Nausheen & Mvukiyehe, Eric & Sterck, Olivier, 2023. "With or without him? Experimental evidence on cash grants and gender-sensitive trainings in Tunisia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    8. Arlen Guarin & Juliana Londoño-Vélez & Christian Posso, 2023. "Reparations as Development? Evidence from Victims of the Colombian Armed Conflict," Borradores de Economia 1236, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    9. Monteiro Amaral,Sofia Fernando & Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana & Dominguez,Patricio & Perez-Vincent,Santiago M. & Romero,Steffanny, 2022. "Talk or Text ? Evaluating Response Rates by Remote Survey Method during COVID-19," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9999, The World Bank.
    10. Betts, Alexander & Flinder Stierna, Maria & Omata, Naohiko & Sterck, Olivier, 2024. "The economic lives of refugees," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    11. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Ibanez, Ana Maria & Rozo, Sandra V. & Traettino, Salvador, 2023. "More Benefits, Fewer Children: How Regularization Affects Immigrant Fertility," IZA Discussion Papers 16170, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Robson, Matthew & Vollmer, Frank & Doğan, Basak Berçin & Grede, Nils, 2024. "Distributional impacts of cash transfers on the multidimensional poverty of refugees: The Emergency Social Safety Net in Turkey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cash transfers; Humanitarian assistance; Refugees; Poverty; Inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty

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