IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ehbiol/v54y2024ics1570677x24000480.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cash transfers and mental health in Egypt

Author

Listed:
  • El-Enbaby, Hoda
  • Hollingsworth, Bruce
  • Maystadt, Jean-François
  • Singhal, Saurabh

Abstract

The relationship between poverty and mental health is complex. Conditional cash transfers are seen as an important policy tool in reducing poverty and fostering social protection. Evidence on the impact of cash transfers on mental health is mixed. In this study, we assess the causal impact of Egypt’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme Takaful on the main recipients’ mental health. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that receiving the Takaful CCT does not have a significant impact on the anxiety levels of mothers in our sample. In addition, we do not find supporting evidence that the programme has heterogeneous impacts on anxiety levels. We discuss possible explanations behind these null results.

Suggested Citation

  • El-Enbaby, Hoda & Hollingsworth, Bruce & Maystadt, Jean-François & Singhal, Saurabh, 2024. "Cash transfers and mental health in Egypt," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:54:y:2024:i:c:s1570677x24000480
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2024.101396
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570677X24000480
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ehb.2024.101396?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lund, Crick & Breen, Alison & Flisher, Alan J. & Kakuma, Ritsuko & Corrigall, Joanne & Joska, John A. & Swartz, Leslie & Patel, Vikram, 2010. "Poverty and common mental disorders in low and middle income countries: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 517-528, August.
    2. Heath, Rachel & Hidrobo, Melissa & Roy, Shalini, 2020. "Cash transfers, polygamy, and intimate partner violence: Experimental evidence from Mali," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    3. Stoeffler, Quentin & Mills, Bradford & del Ninno, Carlo, 2016. "Reaching the Poor: Cash Transfer Program Targeting in Cameroon," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 244-263.
    4. Joel McGuire & Caspar Kaiser & Anders M. Bach-Mortensen, 2022. "A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of cash transfers on subjective well-being and mental health in low- and middle-income countries," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(3), pages 359-370, March.
    5. ElDidi, Hagar & El-Enbaby, Hoda & Kassim, Yumna & Kurdi, Sikandra & Petesch, Patti & Moataz, Yasmine & Goessinger, Karim-Yassin, 2018. "Impact evaluation study for Egypt's Takaful and Karama cash transfer program: Part 2: Qualitative Report," MENA working papers 15, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Raouf, Mariam & Kurdi, Sikandra & Cicowiez, Martin & Lofgren, Hans & Yassa, Basma & Kamaly, Ahmed & Helmy, Gamel, 2023. "Egypt’s Haya Karima Initiative: An assessment of its rural and economywide impacts," MENA policy notes 23, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Kurdi, Sikandra & Breisinger, Clemens & ElDidi, Hagar & El-Enbaby, Hoda & Gilligan, Daniel & Karachiwalla, Naureen, 2018. "Targeting social safety nets using proxy means tests: Evidence from Egypt’s Takaful and Karama program," IFPRI book chapters, in: ReSAKSS Annual Trends and Outlook Report, chapter 10, pages 135-153, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Imbens, Guido W. & Lemieux, Thomas, 2008. "Regression discontinuity designs: A guide to practice," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 615-635, February.
    9. El Enbaby, Hoda & Elsabbagh, Dalia & Gilligan, Daniel & Karachiwalla, Naureen & Koch, Bastien & Kurdi, Sikandra, 2022. "Impact evaluation report: Egypt's Takaful Cash Transfer Program: Second round report," MENA working papers 40, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    10. Powell-Jackson, Timothy & Pereira, Shreya K. & Dutt, Varun & Tougher, Sarah & Haldar, Kaveri & Kumar, Paresh, 2016. "Cash transfers, maternal depression and emotional well-being: Quasi-experimental evidence from India’s Janani Suraksha Yojana programme," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 210-218.
    11. Fernald, Lia C.H. & Hidrobo, Melissa, 2011. "Effect of Ecuador's cash transfer program (Bono de Desarrollo Humano) on child development in infants and toddlers: A randomized effectiveness trial," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1437-1446, May.
    12. Sarah Baird & Francisco H. G. Ferreira & Berk Özler & Michael Woolcock, 2013. "Relative Effectiveness of Conditional and Unconditional Cash Transfers for Schooling Outcomes in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(1), pages 1-124.
    13. Maxine Molyneux, 2006. "Mothers at the Service of the New Poverty Agenda: The PROGRESA/Oportunidades Programme in Mexico," Social Policy in a Development Context, in: Shahra Razavi & Shireen Hassim (ed.), Gender and Social Policy in a Global Context, chapter 2, pages 43-67, Palgrave Macmillan.
    14. Sarah Baird & Jacobus de Hoop & Berk Özler, 2013. "Income Shocks and Adolescent Mental Health," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 48(2), pages 370-403.
    15. Sebastian Calonico & Matias D. Cattaneo & Max H. Farrell & Roc ́ıo Titiunik, 2017. "rdrobust: Software for regression-discontinuity designs," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 17(2), pages 372-404, June.
    16. Luisa Natali & Sudhanshu Handa & Amber Peterman & David Seidenfeld & Gelson Tembo & UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, 2016. "Making Money Work: Unconditional cash transfers allow women to save and re-invest in rural Zambia," Papers inwopa827, Innocenti Working Papers.
    17. Hahn, Jinyong & Todd, Petra & Van der Klaauw, Wilbert, 2001. "Identification and Estimation of Treatment Effects with a Regression-Discontinuity Design," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 69(1), pages 201-209, January.
    18. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    19. Christina Paxson & Norbert Schady, 2010. "Does Money Matter? The Effects of Cash Transfers on Child Development in Rural Ecuador," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(1), pages 187-229, October.
    20. Matthew W. Ridley & Gautam Rao & Frank Schilbach & Vikram H. Patel, 2020. "Poverty, Depression, and Anxiety: Causal Evidence and Mechanisms," NBER Working Papers 27157, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    21. Frey, Anderson, 2019. "Cash transfers, clientelism, and political enfranchisement: Evidence from Brazil," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 1-17.
    22. Matias D. Cattaneo & Michael Jansson & Xinwei Ma, 2018. "Manipulation testing based on density discontinuity," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 18(1), pages 234-261, March.
    23. El Shabrawy, Atef & Gilligan, Daniel O. & Kurdi, Sikandra & Palloni, Giordano & Yassa, Basma, 2022. "Forsa pilot program and evaluation plan," MENA working papers 38, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. McGuire, Joel & Kaiser, Caspar & Bach-Mortensen, Anders, 2020. "The impact of cash transfers on subjective well-being and mental health in low- and middle- income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis," SocArXiv ydr54, Center for Open Science.
    2. Cuong Viet Nguyen & Finn Tarp, 2023. "Cash Transfers and Labor Supply: New Evidence on Impacts and Mechanisms," DERG working paper series 23-18, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Development Economics Research Group (DERG).
    3. Blaise Melly & Rafael Lalive, 2020. "Estimation, Inference, and Interpretation in the Regression Discontinuity Design," Diskussionsschriften dp2016, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft.
    4. Hongsheng Fang & Yunqing Su & Weijun Lu, 2022. "Tax incentive and firm investment: Evidence from the Income Tax Revenue Sharing Reform in China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(5), pages 4849-4884, December.
    5. Fang, Hongsheng & Su, Yunqing & Lu, Weijun, 2022. "Tax incentive and corporate financial performance: Evidence from income tax revenue sharing reform in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Andersen, Asbjørn G. & Kotsadam, Andreas & Somville, Vincent, 2022. "Material resources and well-being — Evidence from an Ethiopian housing lottery," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    7. Brachert, Matthias & Dettmann, Eva & Titze, Mirko, 2019. "The regional effects of a place-based policy – Causal evidence from Germany," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    8. Shenglong Liu & Yuanyuan Wan & Xiaoming Zhang, 2024. "Retirement Spillover Effects on Spousal Health in Urban China," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 756-783, September.
    9. Mari, Gabriele, 2023. "Less for more? Cuts to child benefits, family adjustments, and long-run child outcomes in larger families," SocArXiv e3n82, Center for Open Science.
    10. Crespo Cristian, 2020. "Beyond Manipulation: Administrative Sorting in Regression Discontinuity Designs," Journal of Causal Inference, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 164-181, January.
    11. Mauricio Villamizar‐Villegas & Freddy A. Pinzon‐Puerto & Maria Alejandra Ruiz‐Sanchez, 2022. "A comprehensive history of regression discontinuity designs: An empirical survey of the last 60 years," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 1130-1178, September.
    12. Andrew E Clark & Rong Zhu, 2024. "Taking Back Control? Quasi-Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Retirement on Locus of Control," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(660), pages 1465-1493.
    13. Andrew McEachin & Thurston Domina & Andrew Penner, 2020. "Heterogeneous Effects of Early Algebra across California Middle Schools," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(3), pages 772-800, June.
    14. Erich Battistin & Agar Brugiavini & Enrico Rettore & Guglielmo Weber, 2009. "The Retirement Consumption Puzzle: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(5), pages 2209-2226, December.
    15. Li, Yanan & Sunder, Naveen, 2024. "Distributional effects of education on mental health," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    16. Bartalotti Otávio, 2019. "Regression Discontinuity and Heteroskedasticity Robust Standard Errors: Evidence from a Fixed-Bandwidth Approximation," Journal of Econometric Methods, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-26, January.
    17. Sacha Kapoor & Matthijs Oosterveen & Dinand Webbink, 2021. "The price of forced attendance," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 209-227, March.
    18. Gabriele Mari, 2024. "Less for more? Cuts to child benefits, family adjustments, and long-run child outcomes in larger families," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-27, June.
    19. Etienne Lwamba & Shannon Shisler & Will Ridlehoover & Meital Kupfer & Nkululeko Tshabalala & Promise Nduku & Laurenz Langer & Sean Grant & Ada Sonnenfeld & Daniela Anda & John Eyers & Birte Snilstveit, 2022. "Strengthening women's empowerment and gender equality in fragile contexts towards peaceful and inclusive societies: A systematic review and meta‐analysis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), March.
    20. Crespo Cristian, 2020. "Beyond Manipulation: Administrative Sorting in Regression Discontinuity Designs," Journal of Causal Inference, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 164-181, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:54:y:2024:i:c:s1570677x24000480. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622964 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.