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Poor Households’ Productive Investments of Cash Transfers: Quasi-experimental Evidence from Niger

Author

Listed:
  • Quentin Stoeffler
  • Bradford Mills
  • Patrick Premand

Abstract

Cash transfer programmes have spread rapidly as an instrument to raise household consumption and reduce poverty. Questions remain if cash transfers can foster investments in productive assets in addition to raising immediate consumption among the very poor, particularly in rural Africa. Further, can asset investment gains be sustained over the medium-term after transfer programme termination? We use quasi-experimental methods combining difference-in-differences with matching on baseline observables to estimate the impacts of a bundled transfer programme on asset levels of beneficiary households 18 months after project completion. The results suggest that small regular cash transfers combined with enhanced saving mechanisms can generate asset accumulation among the extreme poor. In this case, the bundled intervention induces sustained investments in livestock assets. These gains occur among the poorest households and are not driven by gains among less poor beneficiaries. A lasting increase in participation in tontines (rotating saving groups) is also found among beneficiary households, suggesting bundled saving enhancement activities may contribute to observed asset gains.

Suggested Citation

  • Quentin Stoeffler & Bradford Mills & Patrick Premand, 2020. "Poor Households’ Productive Investments of Cash Transfers: Quasi-experimental Evidence from Niger," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 29(1), pages 63-89.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jafrec:v:29:y:2020:i:1:p:63-89.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jae/ejz017
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    Cited by:

    1. Patrick Premand & Dominic Rohner, 2024. "Cash and Conflict: Large-Scale Experimental Evidence from Niger," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 6(1), pages 137-153, March.
    2. Ebenezer Owusu‐Addo & Andre M. N. Renzaho & Paul Sarfo‐Mensah & Yaw A. Sarpong & William Niyuni & Ben J. Smith, 2023. "Sustainability of cash transfer programs: A realist case study," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 173-198, June.
    3. Baird, Sarah & McIntosh, Craig & Özler, Berk & Pape, Utz, 2024. "Asset transfers and anti-poverty programs: Experimental evidence from Tanzania," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Patrick Premand & Pascale Schnitzer, 2021. "Efficiency, Legitimacy, and Impacts of Targeting Methods: Evidence from an Experiment in Niger," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(4), pages 892-920.
    5. Premand, Patrick & Stoeffler, Quentin, 2022. "Cash transfers, climatic shocks and resilience in the Sahel," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    6. Kakpo, Ange & Mills, Bradford F. & Brunelin, Stéphanie, 2022. "Weather shocks and food price seasonality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Niger," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    7. Luis Henrique Paiva & Santiago Falluh Varella, 2019. "The impacts of social protection benefits on behaviours potentially related to economic growth: a literature review," Working Papers 183, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
    8. Giorgio Di Pietro, 2022. "Changes in household income during COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(10), pages 1-20, October.
    9. Premand, Patrick & Barry, Oumar, 2022. "Behavioral change promotion, cash transfers and early childhood development: Experimental evidence from a government program in a low-income setting," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

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