Cash transfer programmes, weather shocks and household welfare: evidence from a randomised experiment in Zambia. Issue 4 (2nd October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Asfaw, Solomon; Carraro, Alessandro; Davis, Benjamin; Handa, Sudhanshu; Seidenfeld, David
• Is Part Of: Journal of development effectiveness. Volume 9:Issue 4(2017)
• Page Start: 419
• Page End: 442
• Publication Date: 2017-10-02
• Subjects: Cash transfer -- impact -- climate -- RCT -- Zambia -- Africa; Economic development -- Periodicals; Developing countries -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; Economic development; Economic history; Developing countries; Periodicals; 338.91724
• DOI: 10.1080/19439342.2017.1377751
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1943-9342

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We assess the role of social cash transfer programmes against the negative effect of weather risk on rural households' welfare using experimental impact evaluation data from Zambia. We find strong evidence that cash transfer has a mitigating role against the negative effects of weather shocks. Our results in fact highlight how important social cash transfer is for households lying in the bottom quantile of consumption and food security distributions in moderating the negative effect of weather shock. Integrating weather risk and social protection tools into a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy should therefore be of primary interest for policymakers.