Cash Transfers, Children and the Crisis
Developing countries have responded to the multiple shocks from the food, fuel and finance crises of 2008-2009 with a mix of responses aimed at both mitigating the immediate impacts of the crises on households (and particularly children), and protecting future investments in human capital. While some countries have introduced new safety net programs, others have modified and/or expanded existing ones. Since many countries have introduced conditional cash transfers (CCTs) in recent years, these programs have been used as an important starting point for a response. This paper aims to describe how conditional cash transfers have been used by different countries to respond to the crises (e.g. by expanding coverage and/or increasing benefit amounts), distill lessons about their effectiveness as crisis-response programs, identify design features that can facilitate their ability to respond to transient poverty shocks, and assess how they can complement other safety net programs.
Summary: | Developing countries have responded to
the multiple shocks from the food, fuel and finance crises
of 2008-2009 with a mix of responses aimed at both
mitigating the immediate impacts of the crises on households
(and particularly children), and protecting future
investments in human capital. While some countries have
introduced new safety net programs, others have modified
and/or expanded existing ones. Since many countries have
introduced conditional cash transfers (CCTs) in recent
years, these programs have been used as an important
starting point for a response. This paper aims to describe
how conditional cash transfers have been used by different
countries to respond to the crises (e.g. by expanding
coverage and/or increasing benefit amounts), distill lessons
about their effectiveness as crisis-response programs,
identify design features that can facilitate their ability
to respond to transient poverty shocks, and assess how they
can complement other safety net programs. |
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