Cash transfers and voting among young women in Malawi

Hiwot Mesfin and Yohannis Mulu Tessema

Oxford Development Studies, 2025, vol. 53, issue 1, 52-65

Abstract: We investigate the effects of cash transfer programs on adolescent females’ likelihood to vote in Malawi using data from a randomized control experiment. We find that cash transfers reduce adolescent females’ likelihood to vote. Our finding is consistent with existing evidence, which indicates an inverse relationship between income and voting in developing democracies. We also find suggestive evidence that cash transfers reduce the likelihood of voting through an income effect. By increasing the income of recipients, cash transfers could reduce the marginal utility of immediate financial gains that individuals might obtain from voting (in the form of vote buying) in developing democracies. In doing so, they might lower the incentive to participate in voting.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2024.2439538

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