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With or without him? Experimental evidence on cash grants and gender-sensitive trainings in Tunisia

Author

Listed:
  • Jules Gazeaud

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne)

  • Nausheen Khan

    (WBG = GBM - World Bank Group = Groupe Banque Mondiale)

  • Eric Mvukiyehe

    (Duke University [Durham])

  • Olivier Sterck

    (Universiteit Antwerpen = University of Antwerp, University of Oxford)

Abstract

Is it possible to stimulate women's income-generating activities by relaxing their financial and human capital constraints? Does involving husbands help or hinder the effort? We examine these questions using a three-arm randomized-controlled trial with 2000 women in Tunisia. Women in the two treatment arms were offered a large cash grant (worth USD768 in PPP terms) and a gender-sensitive financial training. In one of the treatment arms, women were additionally encouraged to bring their male partner to the training. Two years after the program, we show that the treatments stimulated women's income-generating activities, but only when partners were not involved, and with no downstream effects on women's agency. Independently of partners' participation, impacts on household living standards were overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that the program was highly costeffective. Overall, our results highlight the difficulty of stimulating women's agency in traditional societies, and suggest that involving men in women's empowerment programs can backfire.

Suggested Citation

  • Jules Gazeaud & Nausheen Khan & Eric Mvukiyehe & Olivier Sterck, 2023. "With or without him? Experimental evidence on cash grants and gender-sensitive trainings in Tunisia," Post-Print hal-04364356, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04364356
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2023.103169
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04364356v1
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    1. Malik, Mahfuja & Mamun, Khawaja & Osman, Syed Muhammad Ishraque, 2025. "Does corruption control enhance ESG-induced firm value? Insights from machine learning analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    2. Campos, Francisco & Hernandez-de-Benito, Maria & Jamison, Julian C. & Safir, Abla & Zia, Bilal, 2025. "Persistent yet ameliorable shocks to female entrepreneurship: Experimental evidence from Kenya," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    3. repec:osf:osfxxx:dnc2r_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Ahrens, Achim & Casalis, Marine & Hangartner, Dominik & Sánchez, Rodrigo, 2024. "Cash-based interventions improve multidimensional integration outcomes of Venezuelan immigrants," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    5. Delius, Antonia & Sterck, Olivier, 2024. "Cash transfers and micro-enterprise performance: Theory and quasi-experimental evidence from Kenya," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    6. Leight, Jessica & Hirvonen, Kalle & Zafar, Sarim, 2024. "The effectiveness of cash and cash plus interventions on livelihoods outcomes: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis," OSF Preprints dnc2r, Center for Open Science.
    7. Tefera, Girum Abebe & Cassidy, Rachel & Weis, Toni Johannes, 2025. "Access to Capital and Women's Entrepreneurship," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11232, The World Bank.
    8. Hidrobo, Melissa & Peterman, Amber & Kumar, Neha & Lambon-Quayefio, Monica & Roy, Shalini & Gilligan, Daniel O. & Paz, Florencia, 2024. "Social protection and gender: policy, practice and research," IFPRI discussion papers 2257, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Bari, MD. Abdul & Khan, Ghulam Dastgir & Katayanagi, Mari & Yoshida, Yuichiro, 2024. "Gender dynamics of the impact of cash transfer on female educational expenditure of informal settlements in Bangladesh," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 34(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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