Governments around the world have taken a wide range of measures in order to combat the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic with a heavy emphasis on distributing cash transfers. At the Mind & Behaviour Group, ongoing studies on cash transfers conducted by our team of researchers aim to unpack the economic effects of giving cash particularly to those most vulnerable. In a new policy series launching this month, we focus on how governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can incorporate research evidence into the design of cash transfers programmes.
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Using “labels,” salient messages mentally linking a transfer to a particular purpose, can guide people in the intended use of a cash transfer and provide a clear structure for when, how, and for how long transfers will be available in order to allow people to plan effectively.
Adding reminders (e.g. SMS, pre-recorded voice messages) into cash transfer programmes can be a way to promote adherence to preventative guidelines as well as facilitate the formation of the required habits and behaviours of people.
Adding certain messages to cash transfers could help promote resource-sharing between community members and expand the reach of social assistance to vulnerable households that have been excluded.
Incorporating social norms-based messaging strategies (messages describing how the majority of people behave or reflecting their approval of certain behaviours) can be used in cash transfer programmes to increase compliance with public health guidelines.
Cash transfers can play a role in mitigating some of the negative effects of school closures during and after the ongoing pandemic. Research is still ongoing on how to incorporate behavioural messaging to increase investments in education.
Understanding the evidence on the impact of cash transfers on intimate partner violence against women can aid in the design of cash transfers programmes as well as inform potential behavioural add-ons to reduce the risk of violence.
Small monetary costs can reduce take-up of preventive health behaviours and how messaging can potentially encourage take-up.