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Cash transfer programs have differential effects on health: A review of the literature from low and middle-income countries

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  • Cooper, Jan E.
  • Benmarhnia, Tarik
  • Koski, Alissa
  • King, Nicholas B.

Abstract

Cash transfer programs have grown increasingly popular and are now used as interventions to target a wide array of health outcomes across many diverse settings. However, cash transfer experiments have yielded mixed results, highlighting gaps in our understanding of how these programs work. In particular, we do not yet know whether cash transfers are more effective for certain health outcomes compared to others, or are more effective for some population subgroups compared to others. Here, we ask whether the effects of cash transfers on health outcomes differ across study subgroups.

Suggested Citation

  • Cooper, Jan E. & Benmarhnia, Tarik & Koski, Alissa & King, Nicholas B., 2020. "Cash transfer programs have differential effects on health: A review of the literature from low and middle-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:247:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620300253
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112806
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    Cited by:

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    2. Constance Shumba & Rose Maina & Gladys Mbuthia & Rachel Kimani & Stella Mbugua & Sweta Shah & Amina Abubakar & Stanley Luchters & Sheila Shaibu & Eunice Ndirangu, 2020. "Reorienting Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kenya: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Sarthak Agarwal & Neeraj Katewa, 2024. "Improving Women’s Position in the Household: Evidence from a Maternity Cash Transfer Programme in India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 36(6), pages 1471-1518, December.
    4. Fontana, S.; & Guccio, C.; & Pignataro, G.; & Romeo, D.;, 2024. "Cash Transfers and Health Outcomes: Evidence from Italian Municipalities," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 24/04, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    5. Armando Barrientos & Daniele Malerba, 2020. "Social assistance and inclusive growth," International Social Security Review, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(3), pages 33-53, July.
    6. Clotilde Mahé & Philipp Hessel, 2022. "School-age exposure to conditional cash transfers and adult mental health: Evidence from Mexico’s Progresa," Documentos de trabajo 20155, Escuela de Gobierno - Universidad de los Andes.
    7. Rosenberg, Molly & Beidelman, Erika & Chen, Xiwei & Canning, David & Kobayashi, Lindsay & Kahn, Kathleen & Pettifor, Audrey & Kabudula, Chodziwadziwa Whiteson, 2023. "The impact of a randomized cash transfer intervention on mortality of adult household members in rural South Africa, 2011–2022," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    8. Vilar-Compte, Mireya & Teruel, Graciela & Flores, Diana & García-Appendini, Ida C. & Ochoa-Lagunas, Adriana, 2020. "A longitudinal study of height gaps among Mexican children: Disparities and social inequity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    9. Garman, E.C. & Eyal, K. & Avendano, M. & Evans-Lacko, S. & Lund, C., 2022. "Cash transfers and the mental health of young people: Evidence from South Africa's child support grant," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    10. Vishalie Shah & Julia Hatamyar & Taufik Hidayat & Noemi Kreif, 2025. "Exploring the heterogeneous impacts of Indonesia's conditional cash transfer scheme (PKH) on maternal health care utilisation using instrumental causal forests," Papers 2501.12803, arXiv.org.

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