Policy Takeaways: The Role of Cash Transfers in Preventing Suicides in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

There is academic consensus that mental health disorders are influenced by the economic circumstances faced by individuals and that certain anti-poverty programmes (like cash transfer programmes) can alleviate mental health disorders such as depression. This policy brief explores emerging literature that suggests that these effects also extend to reducing suicides. 

Results from two recent studies on conditional cash transfer programmes (CCTs) in Indonesia and Brazil suggest that the effects of CCTs on suicides are large, long-lasting, and stronger for poor individuals and, potentially, women.

Welfare and Poverty
Mental Health
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