Listing 1 - 4 of 4 |
Sort by
|
Choose an application
Subsidized or free distribution of food has been a central pillar of social protection programs in many countries. With the number of forcibly displaced persons at record levels, the question arises of whether in-kind food transfer programs are effective in mitigating the loss of welfare induced by forced displacement. This paper examines whether Iraq's Public Distribution System, a universal food subsidy program, has buffered the impacts of displacement on households. Using propensity score matching to account for the observable differences between Public Distribution System recipients and non-recipients, the analysis finds that displaced households with continued access to Public Distribution System benefits have higher food and non-food expenditures compared with displaced households that lost access. Likewise, the beneficiaries have higher calorie intakes and are less vulnerable to falling into poverty. However, displaced beneficiaries remained significantly worse off and more vulnerable to poverty than non-displaced households, suggesting that, although the Public Distribution System helped mitigate displacement to a degree, it may not be the most effective protection program for such shocks. Given the considerable resources the universal program consumes, it is vital to think of alternative approaches, such as targeted cash transfers, that might be more effective in protection and cost.
Displacement --- Food Distribution --- Food Subsidy --- In-Kind Transfers --- Poverty Reduction --- Public Distribution --- Safety Nets and Transfers --- Services and Transfers to Poor --- Social Protections and Labor --- Welfare
Choose an application
Despite recent calls in support of cash transfers, there is little rigorous evidence of the relative impacts of cash versus in-kind transfers, especially in humanitarian contexts, where a majority of such programs take place. This paper uses data from a randomized experiment in the Democratic Republic of Congo to assess the relative impacts and costs of equivalently valued cash and voucher transfers. The voucher program distorted households' purchases along both the extensive and intensive margin as compared with unconstrained cash households. Yet there were no differences in food consumption or other measures of well-being, in part due to the fact that voucher households were able to resell part of what they purchased. As there were no significant benefits to vouchers, cash transfers were the more cost effective modality for both the implementing agency and program recipients in this context.
Cash transfers --- Communities & human settlements --- Democratic republic of congo --- Economic theory & research --- Food & beverage industry --- Housing & human habitats --- Impact evaluation in-kind transfers --- Industry --- Macroeconomics and economic growth --- Poverty reduction --- Rural poverty reduction --- Small area estimation poverty mapps --- Vouchers
Choose an application
This paper studies the medium-term impact of early-life welfare transfers on children's learning. It studies children who were exposed to the randomized controlled trial of the Mexico's Food Support Program (the Programa de Apoyo Alimentario, PAL), in which households were assigned to receive cash, in-kind food transfers, or nothing (a control). The children are matched with administrative data on primary school standardized tests, which were taken four to 10 years after the experiment began. The findings show that in-kind transfers did not impact test scores, while cash transfers led to a significant and meaningful decrease in test scores. An analysis of the mechanisms driving these results reveals that both transfers led to an increase in child labor, which is likely detrimental to learning. In-kind food transfers, however, induced a greater consumption of several key micronutrients that are vital for brain development, which likely attenuated the negative impacts of child labor on learning.
Cash Transfers --- Education --- Effective Schools and Teachers --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- In-Kind Transfers --- Learning Outcomes --- Nutrition --- Poverty Reduction --- Primary Education --- Services and Transfers to Poor --- Student Achievement --- Student Performance --- Test Scores
Choose an application
Despite recent calls in support of cash transfers, there is little rigorous evidence of the relative impacts of cash versus in-kind transfers, especially in humanitarian contexts, where a majority of such programs take place. This paper uses data from a randomized experiment in the Democratic Republic of Congo to assess the relative impacts and costs of equivalently valued cash and voucher transfers. The voucher program distorted households' purchases along both the extensive and intensive margin as compared with unconstrained cash households. Yet there were no differences in food consumption or other measures of well-being, in part due to the fact that voucher households were able to resell part of what they purchased. As there were no significant benefits to vouchers, cash transfers were the more cost effective modality for both the implementing agency and program recipients in this context.
Cash transfers --- Communities & human settlements --- Democratic republic of congo --- Economic theory & research --- Food & beverage industry --- Housing & human habitats --- Impact evaluation in-kind transfers --- Industry --- Macroeconomics and economic growth --- Poverty reduction --- Rural poverty reduction --- Small area estimation poverty mapps --- Vouchers
Listing 1 - 4 of 4 |
Sort by
|