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Giving cash to needy couples had a good result and a bad one : NPR
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- Since the early 2000s, cash transfer programs have been used globally to help families in extreme poverty by providing lump sums to cover basic needs and invest in income-generating activities, with Liberia being a notable example.
- Liberia targets women as recipients of cash transfers to give them economic control in households where men often dominate financial decisions, but this has caused some men to feel excluded.
- A new World Bank-funded experiment in Liberia gave equal cash transfers to both partners along with joint financial planning sessions to encourage shared decision-making and improve household income and harmony.
- The study found that joint financial planning improved economic outcomes, but unexpectedly increased intimate partner violence among couples with a history of conflict, possibly due to tensions arising from deviations from agreed plans or shifts in household power dynamics.
- Researchers aim to refine the program to maintain financial benefits while reducing conflict, hoping to conduct further studies with adjusted approaches to better support vulnerable households.
