Our Projects

The effects of government-led cash transfer programs on health outcomes among women and young children in low- and middle-income countries

In recent work, we used data from 37 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and numerous Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) surveys to generate longitudinal mortality datasets for about 7 million adults and children. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we found that government-led cash transfer programs resulted in large and statistically significant reductions in mortality among adult females (adjusted risk ratio 0.80) and children <5 years of age (adjusted risk ratio 0.90), but not among adult males or older children. This work raises an important question about the possible pathways that explain these findings, including behavioral pathways (such as increased engagement in health-promoting behaviors like antenatal care or childhood vaccination) as well as health and nutrition pathways (such as improved child nutrition). The proposed project will address this question by combining DHS data with our newly constructed database of cash transfer programs, using difference-in-differences analyses to examine the association between cash transfer programs and outcomes among adult females and children <5 years of age. Aim 1 of the project will assess the association between cash transfer programs and key behavioral outcomes that might affect mortality rates and other health outcomes, and Aim 2 will assess the associations between these programs and key health and nutrition outcomes that are of considerable interest themselves and might also mediate effects of cash programs on mortality rates.