Cash or Food Security through the Public Distribution System? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Delhi, India

Gangopadhyay, Shubhashis; Lensink, Robert; Yadav, Bhupesh

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2186408

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Cash or Food Security through the Public Distribution System? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Delhi, India

35 Pages Posted: 8 Dec 2012

See all articles by Shubhashis Gangopadhyay

Shubhashis Gangopadhyay

India Development Foundation; University of Gothenburg; University of Groningen, Faculty of Economics and Business, Students; Indian School of Public Policy

Robert Lensink

University of Groningen - Department of Economics, Econometrics and Finance; Wageningen University and Research (WUR) - Development Economics Group

Bhupesh Yadav

Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi - India Development Foundation

Date Written: October 1, 2012

Abstract

This paper examines a randomized intervention in Delhi, India, that provided unconditional cash transfer to a group of households as a replacement for food security by means of a below poverty line card. A special feature of our study is that our experiment allows to differentiate between beneficial effects due to unconditional cash transfers and the opening of bank accounts. We find that the unconditional cash transfer does not lead to a decline in food security, but provides opportunities for households to shift to other nutritious options in the non-cereal segment.

Keywords: cash transfers, randomised controlled trial, food security, Asia, India

JEL Classification: C93, I32, O16, O17

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Gangopadhyay, Shubhashis and Lensink, Robert and Yadav, Bhupesh, Cash or Food Security through the Public Distribution System? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Delhi, India (October 1, 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2186408 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2186408