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Money is not enough

Author

Listed:
  • Palacios Mora, Juan Carlos

    (Mt Economic Research Inst on Innov/Techn)

  • de Crombrugghe, Denis

    (RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research, RS: FSE DACS Mathematics Centre Maastricht, QE Econometrics)

  • Gassmann, Franziska

    (RS: GSBE UM-BIC, RS: GSBE MORSE, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, RS: GSBE MGSoG, RS: UNU-MERIT Theme 2, RS: UNU-MERIT Theme 6)

Abstract

The effectiveness of cash transfer programs to foster social mobility in the medium and long run is still unclear. Using a RDD we found that after six years of exposure to the Ecuadorean cash transfer, living conditions of beneficiaries are worse off than non-beneficiaries. We argue that it is the mechanism to evaluate continuity that incentivizes households to remain poor. Continuity is evaluated every 4-6 years based solely on a proxy-means score and not on whether households are on a path towards escaping poverty. Furthermore, households do not know how the score pis estimated and their proximity to the cutoff. This creates uncertainty on the side of beneficiaries, who take long-term suboptimal decisions to maximize their short-term utility. We also estimate the effect of the old-age pension’s branch of the program, whose beneficiaries do not face uncertainty about their continuity, finding no negative effects for that branch.

Suggested Citation

  • Palacios Mora, Juan Carlos & de Crombrugghe, Denis & Gassmann, Franziska, 2022. "Money is not enough," MERIT Working Papers 2022-038, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2022038
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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