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Poverty graduation with cash transfers: a randomized evaluation

Author

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  • Vilas J. Gobin
  • Paulo Santos
  • Russell Toth

Abstract

We examine the impact of the Rural Entrepreneur Access Program (REAP), a poverty graduation program that combines multiple interventions with the aim of promoting en- trepreneurship among ultra-poor women. The program emphasizes cash transfers (rather than asset transfers) to ultra-poor women, in addition to business skills training, business mentoring and savings. Participation in each of three rounds of the program was randomly determined through a public lottery. In the short-to-medium-run we find that the program has a positive and significant impact on income, savings, asset accumulation, and food security that are similar to more traditional poverty graduation programs that rely on asset transfers.

Suggested Citation

  • Vilas J. Gobin & Paulo Santos & Russell Toth, 2016. "Poverty graduation with cash transfers: a randomized evaluation," Monash Economics Working Papers 23-16, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:mos:moswps:2016-23
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Gaurav Datt, 2017. "Distribution-sensitive multidimensional poverty measures with an application to India," Monash Economics Working Papers 06-17, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    2. Etienne Lwamba & Shannon Shisler & Will Ridlehoover & Meital Kupfer & Nkululeko Tshabalala & Promise Nduku & Laurenz Langer & Sean Grant & Ada Sonnenfeld & Daniela Anda & John Eyers & Birte Snilstveit, 2022. "Strengthening women's empowerment and gender equality in fragile contexts towards peaceful and inclusive societies: A systematic review and meta‐analysis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Poverty graduation; Cash transfers; Entrepreneurship; Ultra-poor; Field ex- periment; Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

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