Debunking the Stereotype of the Lazy Welfare Recipient: Evidence from Cash Transfer Programs Worldwide
27 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2015
Date Written: December 14, 2015
Abstract
Targeted transfer programs for poor citizens have become increasingly common in the developing world. Yet, a common concern among policy makers – both in developing as well as developed countries – is that such programs tend to discourage work. We re-analyze the data from 7 randomized controlled trials of government-run cash transfer programs in six developing countries throughout the world, and find no systematic evidence that cash transfer programs discourage work.
Keywords: Microfinance, Cash Transfers, Welfare, Poverty, Inequality, Development, Developing World
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Banerjee, Abhijit V. and Hanna, Rema and Kreindler, Gabriel and Olken, Benjamin A., Debunking the Stereotype of the Lazy Welfare Recipient: Evidence from Cash Transfer Programs Worldwide (December 14, 2015). HKS Working Paper No. 076, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2703447 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2703447
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