Unconditional government social cash transfer in Africa does not increase fertility

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Population Economics
Year: 2016
Volume: 29
Issue: 4
Pages: 1083-1111

Authors (5)

Tia Palermo Sudhanshu Handa (not in RePEc) Amber Peterman (UNICEF Evaluation Office) Leah Prencipe (not in RePEc) David Seidenfeld (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.402 = (α=2.01 / 5 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Abstract Among policymakers, a common perception surrounding the effects of cash transfer programmes, particularly unconditional programmes targeted to families with children, is that they induce increased fertility. We evaluate the Zambian Child Grant Programme, a government unconditional cash transfer targeted to families with a child under the age of 5 and examine impacts on fertility and household composition. The evaluation was a cluster randomized control trial, with data collected over 4 years from 2010 to 2014. Our results indicate that there are no programme impacts on overall fertility. Our results contribute to a small evidence base demonstrating that there are no unintended incentives related to fertility due to cash transfers.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:spr:jopoec:v:29:y:2016:i:4:d:10.1007_s00148-016-0596-x
Journal Field
Growth
Author Count
5
Added to Database
2026-01-28