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Cash Transfers for Child Development: Experimental Evidence from India

Author

Listed:
  • Jeffrey Weaver
  • Sandip Sukhtankar
  • Paul Niehaus
  • Karthik Muralidharan

Abstract

Despite significant economic growth, child development outcomes in India remain poor. Using a large-scale experiment in which randomly-selected mothers receive cash transfers for the first two years of their child's life, we examine the relationship between income and child development in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Treated mothers and children experienced large increases in nutritional intake, including increases in caloric consumption of 9.6-15.5%. However, child anthropometric indicators improved only in areas with low rates of open defecation. These results suggest that poor sanitation is a key explanatory factor for the poor translation of increases in income into child growth in India.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeffrey Weaver & Sandip Sukhtankar & Paul Niehaus & Karthik Muralidharan, 2024. "Cash Transfers for Child Development: Experimental Evidence from India," NBER Working Papers 32093, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32093
    Note: CH DEV
    as

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

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