Testing Paternalism: Cash versus In-Kind Transfers

Testing Paternalism: Cash vs. In-kind Transfers

Welfare programs are often implemented in-kind to promote outcomes that might not be realized under cash transfers. This paper uses a randomized controlled trial of a governmental food assistance program to test whether this form of paternalism is necessary, comparing precisely measured consumption and health outcomes under both in-kind food and cash transfers. Importantly, households do not in...

Testing Paternalism: Cash vs. In-kind Transfers in Rural Mexico

Welfare programs are often implemented in-kind to promote outcomes that might not be realized under cash transfers. I use a randomized controlled trial of the Mexican government’s Food Assistance Program (‘PAL’) to test whether this form of paternalism is necessary, comparing precisely measured consumption and health outcomes under both inkind food and cash transfers. Importantly, I …nd that ho...

Transfers in cash and in-kind: Theory meets the data

We review theoretical explanations for in-kind transfers in light of the limited empirical evidence. After reviewing the traditional paternalistic arguments, we consider explanations based on imperfect information and self-targeting. We then discuss the large literature on in-kind programs as a way of improving the efficiency of the tax system and a range of other possible explanations includin...

The labour supply effects of a partial cash-out of in-kind transfers to single mothers

Perspectives on Cash Transfers

may 21, 2011 vol xlvi no 21 EPW Economic & Political Weekly 80 deciles with the amount of subsidy received, i e, Rs 2.06 per kg. For scenario 4, just like scenario 2, we first calculated the transfer amount by multiplying the total grain that is to be distributed under the NAC proposal with the economic cost incurred by the government, and subtracted this figure from the revenues generated. We ...