Study: The Effects of Cash Transfer Programs on Early Childhood Development (ECD) Outcomes of Adolescent Girls”
PI(s): Ozler, Berk
Co-PI(s): Baird, Sarah; McIntosh, Craig
Affiliation(s): World Bank
Institutional Partner(s): World Bank
Project Dates:
Start: 2010
End: 2011
Data Source(s): Panel Data
Methods: Randomized Controlled Trial
Geographic Location(s): Malawi

Description:
Health and education are big concerns for youth transitioning into adulthood. Furthermore, they are even more critical for young women in sub-Saharan Africa. While there is a large literature on the relationship between women’s poverty and HIV/AIDS risk, little is known regarding the marginal impact of income for young women on their sexual behavior and partner selection. “Schooling, Income, and HIV Risk” (SIHR) is a two-year intervention that took place between January 2008 and December 2009 in the Zomba district of Malawi. The program provided cash transfers to households with school-age girls between the ages of 13 and 22 and never-married girls at baseline. The study looks at the casual effects of conditional and unconditional cash transfers to teenage girls on the developmental outcomes of their children. CCT programs for school enrollment leads to large increases in school enrollment, and among the women who increase their school enrollment, shows significant declines in early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and self-reported sexual activity.

Research Outputs:
Baird, Sarah, Chirwa, Ephraim & Mcintosh, Craig. (2010). The Short-Term Impacts of a Schooling Conditional Cash Transfer Program on the Sexual Behavior of Young Women. Health Economics, 19 (1), 55–68. DOI: 10.1002/hec.1569

Baird, Sarah, de Hoop, Jacobus & Ozler, Berk. (2011). Income shocks and adolescent mental health. World Bank Policy Research, (5644). DOI: 10.1596/1813-9450-5644

Baird, Sarah, McIntosh, Craig & Ozler, Berk. (2011). Cash or Condition? Evidence from a Cash Transfer Experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126 (4), 1709-1753. DOI: 10.1093/qje/qjr032

Baird, Sarah, Garfein, Richard S, McIntosh, Craig T & Ozler, Berk. (2012). Effect of a cash transfer programme for schooling on prevalence of HIV and herpes simplex type 2 in Malawi: a cluster randomised trial. Lancet, 379 (9823), 1320-9. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(11)61709-1

Baird, Sarah, de Hoop, Jacobus & Ozler, Berk. (2013). Income Shocks and Adolescent Mental Health. The Journal of Human Resources, 48(2): 370-403. DOI: 10.3368/jhr.48.2.370

Baird, Sarah, Chirwa, Ephraim, McIntosh, Craig & Ozler, Berk. (2015). What happens once the intervention ends? The medium-term impacts of a cash transfer programme in Malawi. 3ie Grantee Final Report.