Welfare Effects of a Non-Contributory Old Age Pension: Experimental Evidence for Ekiti State, Nigeria

María Laura Alzúa, Natalia Cantet, Ana Dammert and Damilola Olajide

Working Papers PIERI from PEP-PIERI

Abstract: Many countries in the developing world have implemented non-contributory old-age pensions. Evidence of the impact of such policies on the elderly in Sub-Saharan Africa is scarce, however. In this paper, we provide the first evidence from a randomized evaluation of an unconditional, non-contributory pension scheme targeted at the elderly in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Our findings show that treated beneficiaries self-reported better quality of life, more stable mental health, and better general health. We also provide evidence of spillover effects on labor outcomes and on household expenditure patterns as well as support for demand- side interventions aimed at improving the welfare of elderly poor citizens and other household members.

Keywords: Randomized controlled trials; Aging; Non-contributory pensions; Health; Developing Countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 C93 H31 H55 H75 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-dev and nep-exp
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:lvl:piercr:2019-15

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