IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/povpop/v8y2016i1p72-94.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Perspectives of Young Women in Rural Western Kenya on Unconditional Cash Transfers

Author

Listed:
  • Jean A. Junior
  • Arlene M. Katz
  • Roy Ahn

Abstract

Unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) provide money to eligible individuals, without dictating how they spend the money or tasks they must do to receive it. This study explored how UCTs affected the lives of young, impoverished women in rural western Kenya. Qualitative methods were used, including in‐depth interviews with 30 women: 10 receiving $1,000, 10 receiving $500, and 10 not receiving a UCT. UCTs were positively viewed by interviewees, and had nuanced and varied effects on aspirations, money management, relationships, and subjective well‐being in social context. The perspectives of interviewees offer programmatic suggestions and question major assumptions concerning UCTs. The perspectives of interviewees offer programmatic suggestions and question major assumptions concerning UCTs. This qualitative study augments the primarily quantitative research on UCTs that has been done to date.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean A. Junior & Arlene M. Katz & Roy Ahn, 2016. "The Perspectives of Young Women in Rural Western Kenya on Unconditional Cash Transfers," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(1), pages 72-94, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:povpop:v:8:y:2016:i:1:p:72-94
    DOI: 10.1002/pop4.127
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/pop4.127
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/pop4.127?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sarah Baird & Craig McIntosh & Berk Özler, 2011. "Cash or Condition? Evidence from a Cash Transfer Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 126(4), pages 1709-1753.
    2. Ivar Krumpal, 2013. "Determinants of social desirability bias in sensitive surveys: a literature review," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 2025-2047, June.
    3. Sudhanshu Handa & Bruno Martorano & Carolyn T. Halpern & Audrey Pettifor & Harsha Thirumurthy, 2016. "Time Discounting and Credit Market Access in a Large-Scale Cash Transfer Programme," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 25(3), pages 367-387.
    4. 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.
    5. Evans, David K. & Popova, Anna, 2014. "Cash transfers and temptation goods : a review of global evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6886, The World Bank.
    6. Richard Akresh & Damien de Walque & Harounan Kazianga, 2014. "Alternative Cash Transfer Delivery Mechanisms: Impacts on Routine Preventative Health Clinic Visits in Burkina Faso," NBER Chapters, in: African Successes, Volume II: Human Capital, pages 113-135, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Laura Camfield & Gina Crivello & Martin Woodhead, 2009. "Wellbeing Research in Developing Countries: Reviewing the Role of Qualitative Methods," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 90(1), pages 5-31, January.
    8. Luis H. B. Braido & Pedro Olinto & Helena Perrone, 2012. "Gender Bias in Intrahousehold Allocation: Evidence from an Unintentional Experiment," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 94(2), pages 552-565, May.
    9. Geof Wood & Meera Tiwari & Sarah C. White & Stanley O. Gaines Jr. & Shreya Jha, 2012. "Beyond Subjective Well‐Being: A Critical Review Of The Stiglitz Report Approach To Subjective Perspectives On Quality Of Life," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(6), pages 763-776, August.
    10. Susan Johnson & Steven Arnold, 2012. "Inclusive Financial Markets: Is Transformation Under Way in Kenya?," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 30(6), pages 719-748, November.
    11. Cleaver, Frances, 2005. "The inequality of social capital and the reproduction of chronic poverty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 893-906, June.
    12. Sarah Baird & Francisco H.G. Ferreira & Berk Özler & Michael Woolcock, 2014. "Conditional, unconditional and everything in between: a systematic review of the effects of cash transfer programmes on schooling outcomes," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 1-43, January.
    13. Gina Koczberski, 2002. "Pots, Plates and Tinpis: New income flows and the strengthening of women's gendered identities in Papua New Guinea," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 45(1), pages 88-92, March.
    14. Naila Kabeer, 1999. "Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women's Empowerment," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 30(3), pages 435-464, July.
    15. Candace M. Miller, 2011. "Cash Transfers and Economic Growth: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Transfer Recipients and Business Owners in Malawi," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 3(3), pages 1-36, September.
    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. Damien de Walque & Christine Valente, 2023. "Incentivizing School Attendance in the Presence of Parent-Child Information Frictions," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 256-285, August.
    2. Gentilini, Ugo, 2014. "Our daily bread : what is the evidence on comparing cash versus food transfers?," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 89502, The World Bank.
    3. Somdeep Chatterjee & Prashant Poddar, 2021. "From Safe Motherhood to Cognitive Ability: Exploring Intrahousehold and Intergenerational Spillovers," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 88(352), pages 1075-1106, October.
    4. Marta Favara & Catherine Porter & Tassew Woldehanna, 2019. "Smarter through social protection? Evaluating the impact of Ethiopia’s safety-net on child cognitive abilities," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(1), pages 79-96, January.
    5. 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).
    6. M. Caridad Araujo & Mariano Bosch & Norbert Schady, 2017. "Can Cash Transfers Help Households Escape an Intergenerational Poverty Trap?," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Poverty Traps, pages 357-382, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. van den Bold, Mara & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Gillespie, Stuart, 2013. "Women’s empowerment and nutrition: An evidence review:," IFPRI discussion papers 1294, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Zietz, Susannah & de Hoop, Jacobus & Handa, Sudhanshu, 2018. "The role of productive activities in the lives of adolescents: Photovoice evidence from Malawi," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 246-255.
    9. Felipe Barrera-Osorio & Leigh L. Linden & Juan E. Saavedra, 2019. "Medium- and Long-Term Educational Consequences of Alternative Conditional Cash Transfer Designs: Experimental Evidence from Colombia," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 54-91, July.
    10. Bénédicte de la Brière & Deon Filmer & Dena Ringold & Dominic Rohner & Karelle Samuda & Anastasiya Denisova, 2017. "From Mines and Wells to Well-Built Minds," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 26490.
    11. Dominic Richardson & UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, 2018. "Key Findings on Families, Family Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals: Synthesis Report," Papers inorer948, Innocenti Research Report.
    12. Daniela Del Boca & Chiara Pronzato & Giuseppe Sorrenti, 2020. "Cash Transfer Programs and Household Labor Supply," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 605, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    13. Jayachandran, Seema & Biradavolu, Monica & Cooper, Jan, 2021. "Using Machine Learning and Qualitative Interviews to Design a Five-Question Women's Agency Index," IZA Discussion Papers 14221, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Bryan, Gharad & Chowdhury, Shyamal & Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq & Morten, Melanie & Smits, Joeri, 2021. "Encouragement and Distortionary Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers," IZA Discussion Papers 14326, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. David K. Evans & Anna Popova, 2017. "Cash Transfers and Temptation Goods," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 65(2), pages 189-221.
    16. Fiorella Benedetti & Pablo Ibarrarán & Patrick J. McEwan, 2016. "Do Education and Health Conditions Matter in a Large Cash Transfer? Evidence from a Honduran Experiment," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(4), pages 759-793.
    17. McIntosh, Craig & Zeitlin, Andrew, 2022. "Using household grants to benchmark the cost effectiveness of a USAID workforce readiness program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    18. Sarah Baird & Ephraim Chirwa & Jacobus de Hoop & Berk Özler, 2014. "Girl Power: Cash Transfers and Adolescent Welfare: Evidence from a Cluster-Randomized Experiment in Malawi," NBER Chapters, in: African Successes, Volume II: Human Capital, pages 139-164, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Richard Akresh & Damien de Walque & Harounan Kazianga, 2013. "Cash Transfers and Child Schooling: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation of the Role of Conditionality," Economics Working Paper Series 1301, Oklahoma State University, Department of Economics and Legal Studies in Business.
    20. 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).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:povpop:v:8:y:2016:i:1:p:72-94. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-2858 .

    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.