Cash Transfers, Behavioral Changes, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

Karen Macours, Norbert Schady and Renos Vakis
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Renos Vakis: Banque Mondiale - Banque Mondiale

PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) from HAL

Abstract: Cash transfer programs have become extremely popular in the developing world. A large literature analyzes their effects on schooling, health and nutrition, but relatively little is known about possible impacts on child development. This paper analyzes the impact of a cash transfer program on early childhood cognitive development. Children in households randomly assigned to receive benefits had significantly higher levels of development nine months after the program began. There is no fade-out of program effects two years after the program ended. Additional random variation shows that these impacts are unlikely to result from the cash component of the program alone.

Keywords: H23; I15; J13; O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-04
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (90)

Published in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2012, 4 (2), pp.247-273. ⟨10.1257/app.4.2.247⟩

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Related works:
Journal Article: Cash Transfers, Behavioral Changes, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment (2012)
Working Paper: Cash Transfers, Behavioral Changes, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment (2012)
Working Paper: Cash Transfers, Behavioral Changes, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment (2012)
Working Paper: Cash Transfers, Behavioral Changes, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment (2011)
Working Paper: Cash transfers, behavioral changes, and cognitive development in early childhood: evidence from a randomized experiment (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:pseptp:halshs-00754593

DOI: 10.1257/app.4.2.247

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