Ugo Gentilini
@ugentilini.bsky.social
Social protection evidence & practice; weekly newsletter: www.ugogentilini.net; new book: “Timely Cash: Lessons From 2,500 Years of Giving People Money” https://academic.oup.com/book/58850.
Pinned
Ugo Gentilini
@ugentilini.bsky.social
· Dec 3
🔊 What can history teach us about cash transfers? How have societies used cash transfers through the ages and what role have they played in countries’ development process?
Today on VoxDevTalks, Tim Phillips speaks to @ugentilini.bsky.social @WorldBank about his new book: voxdev.org/topic/instit...
Today on VoxDevTalks, Tim Phillips speaks to @ugentilini.bsky.social @WorldBank about his new book: voxdev.org/topic/instit...
Got 30 minutes & looking for a podcast?
Here is the deal — check out what happened with #cashtransfers over the past 2500 years!
Tune in for a converation with the great Tim Phillips about my book #TimelyCash out today: lnkd.in/eHttxJKR
Thanks for having me @voxdev.bsky.social, it was lot of fun.
Here is the deal — check out what happened with #cashtransfers over the past 2500 years!
Tune in for a converation with the great Tim Phillips about my book #TimelyCash out today: lnkd.in/eHttxJKR
Thanks for having me @voxdev.bsky.social, it was lot of fun.
Great #TimelyCash events last week: beyond grateful to @politicaleconhub.bsky.social @stcatharines.bsky.social @blavatnikschool.bsky.social @gamblingondev.bsky.social & @odi.global for the extraordinary hospitality & opportunity to discuss 2500 years of #cashtransfers!
academic.oup.com/book/58850
academic.oup.com/book/58850
May 16, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Great #TimelyCash events last week: beyond grateful to @politicaleconhub.bsky.social @stcatharines.bsky.social @blavatnikschool.bsky.social @gamblingondev.bsky.social & @odi.global for the extraordinary hospitality & opportunity to discuss 2500 years of #cashtransfers!
academic.oup.com/book/58850
academic.oup.com/book/58850
A #basicincome pilot in #Germany provided 100+ young people (21-40 yrs), and already earning €1100-2600, with an extra €1200/month for 3 years (2021-24).
Results: people keep working and study even more (plus higher wellbeing in various dimensions).
www.pilotprojekt-grundeinkommen.de/en/labour
Results: people keep working and study even more (plus higher wellbeing in various dimensions).
www.pilotprojekt-grundeinkommen.de/en/labour
April 11, 2025 at 2:14 PM
A #basicincome pilot in #Germany provided 100+ young people (21-40 yrs), and already earning €1100-2600, with an extra €1200/month for 3 years (2021-24).
Results: people keep working and study even more (plus higher wellbeing in various dimensions).
www.pilotprojekt-grundeinkommen.de/en/labour
Results: people keep working and study even more (plus higher wellbeing in various dimensions).
www.pilotprojekt-grundeinkommen.de/en/labour
Cash saves lives:
Alaskan universal #cashtransfers (mildly) increase the odds that male twins survive gestation due to reduced mothers' economic insecurity.
Singh et al
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Alaskan universal #cashtransfers (mildly) increase the odds that male twins survive gestation due to reduced mothers' economic insecurity.
Singh et al
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
February 5, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Cash saves lives:
Alaskan universal #cashtransfers (mildly) increase the odds that male twins survive gestation due to reduced mothers' economic insecurity.
Singh et al
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Alaskan universal #cashtransfers (mildly) increase the odds that male twins survive gestation due to reduced mothers' economic insecurity.
Singh et al
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
12 years on, the effects of a cash grant ($380/person) in #Uganda are alive and kicking... earnings among beneficiaries are 22% higher, but only among men.
Fiala et al
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Fiala et al
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
February 3, 2025 at 9:41 PM
12 years on, the effects of a cash grant ($380/person) in #Uganda are alive and kicking... earnings among beneficiaries are 22% higher, but only among men.
Fiala et al
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Fiala et al
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
In #NewZealand, #cashtransfers of $37/week to mothers with children aged 0-1 reduced the odds of child abuse/neglect by 19% (and 26% among those with past child protective service records).
Moullin and Milne
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Moullin and Milne
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
February 3, 2025 at 9:34 PM
In #NewZealand, #cashtransfers of $37/week to mothers with children aged 0-1 reduced the odds of child abuse/neglect by 19% (and 26% among those with past child protective service records).
Moullin and Milne
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Moullin and Milne
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Exciting #TimelyCash book tour coming up!
What are we learning from 2500 years of #cashtransfers history? If you are in the UK, join the conversation and meet me at one of these upcoming events:
- Monday Feb 3 at 12:00-13:00 hosted by ODI in London: odi.org/en/events/in...
1/3
What are we learning from 2500 years of #cashtransfers history? If you are in the UK, join the conversation and meet me at one of these upcoming events:
- Monday Feb 3 at 12:00-13:00 hosted by ODI in London: odi.org/en/events/in...
1/3
January 22, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Exciting #TimelyCash book tour coming up!
What are we learning from 2500 years of #cashtransfers history? If you are in the UK, join the conversation and meet me at one of these upcoming events:
- Monday Feb 3 at 12:00-13:00 hosted by ODI in London: odi.org/en/events/in...
1/3
What are we learning from 2500 years of #cashtransfers history? If you are in the UK, join the conversation and meet me at one of these upcoming events:
- Monday Feb 3 at 12:00-13:00 hosted by ODI in London: odi.org/en/events/in...
1/3
Check out what happened this week on #socialprotection around the world, all in a handy blog:
www.ugogentilini.net/links-jan-17...
www.ugogentilini.net/links-jan-17...
Links Jan 17 – The effects of a social assistance reform in Germany; two papers on Egypt’s TKP scheme; the evolving nature of South Africa’s public employment programs; a new generation of public work...
www.ugogentilini.net
January 18, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Check out what happened this week on #socialprotection around the world, all in a handy blog:
www.ugogentilini.net/links-jan-17...
www.ugogentilini.net/links-jan-17...
2 papers on #cashtransfers (TKP) in #Egypt!
- TKP didn’t bolster consumption, but increased assets + reduced debt (Karachiwalla et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
- only 32% would opt to leave TKP to join the Forsa economic inclusion program (Allen et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
- TKP didn’t bolster consumption, but increased assets + reduced debt (Karachiwalla et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
- only 32% would opt to leave TKP to join the Forsa economic inclusion program (Allen et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
January 4, 2025 at 12:24 PM
2 papers on #cashtransfers (TKP) in #Egypt!
- TKP didn’t bolster consumption, but increased assets + reduced debt (Karachiwalla et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
- only 32% would opt to leave TKP to join the Forsa economic inclusion program (Allen et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
- TKP didn’t bolster consumption, but increased assets + reduced debt (Karachiwalla et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
- only 32% would opt to leave TKP to join the Forsa economic inclusion program (Allen et al
cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/c...)
January 4, 2025 at 12:41 AM
How research is designed matters — it’s the door through which results head out, but potentially also the window for ideology to sneak in.
www.nber.org/papers/w33274
www.nber.org/papers/w33274
January 2, 2025 at 1:06 AM
How research is designed matters — it’s the door through which results head out, but potentially also the window for ideology to sneak in.
www.nber.org/papers/w33274
www.nber.org/papers/w33274
Which country has the longest tradition of *experimental* #cashtransfers evidence?
Hint: it’s not a low/middle income country.
Like in the 1960-70s, the US is a powerhouse of pilots.
(Past: eml.berkeley.edu/~saez/course...
Present:
jainfamilyinstitute.org/wp-content/u...)
Hint: it’s not a low/middle income country.
Like in the 1960-70s, the US is a powerhouse of pilots.
(Past: eml.berkeley.edu/~saez/course...
Present:
jainfamilyinstitute.org/wp-content/u...)
January 1, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Which country has the longest tradition of *experimental* #cashtransfers evidence?
Hint: it’s not a low/middle income country.
Like in the 1960-70s, the US is a powerhouse of pilots.
(Past: eml.berkeley.edu/~saez/course...
Present:
jainfamilyinstitute.org/wp-content/u...)
Hint: it’s not a low/middle income country.
Like in the 1960-70s, the US is a powerhouse of pilots.
(Past: eml.berkeley.edu/~saez/course...
Present:
jainfamilyinstitute.org/wp-content/u...)
New article from #Nigeria suggests that #cashtransfers to women increase their demand for agency “secretly” — that is, they do not “change the intra-household balance of power enough to allow them to express it publicly”.
Bakhtiar et al
academic.oup.com/ej/advance-a...
Bakhtiar et al
academic.oup.com/ej/advance-a...
December 31, 2024 at 11:07 PM
New article from #Nigeria suggests that #cashtransfers to women increase their demand for agency “secretly” — that is, they do not “change the intra-household balance of power enough to allow them to express it publicly”.
Bakhtiar et al
academic.oup.com/ej/advance-a...
Bakhtiar et al
academic.oup.com/ej/advance-a...
Takeaways on #cashtransfers and fertility in high-income countries:
1. Child benefits (on # children) ≠ baby bonus (on birth)
2. Mixed effects
3. Impact magnitude "tends to be small (if any)".
Gauthier and Gietel-Basten
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
1. Child benefits (on # children) ≠ baby bonus (on birth)
2. Mixed effects
3. Impact magnitude "tends to be small (if any)".
Gauthier and Gietel-Basten
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
December 26, 2024 at 2:16 PM
Takeaways on #cashtransfers and fertility in high-income countries:
1. Child benefits (on # children) ≠ baby bonus (on birth)
2. Mixed effects
3. Impact magnitude "tends to be small (if any)".
Gauthier and Gietel-Basten
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
1. Child benefits (on # children) ≠ baby bonus (on birth)
2. Mixed effects
3. Impact magnitude "tends to be small (if any)".
Gauthier and Gietel-Basten
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
#humanitarian "value for money"?
“That greater cost efficiency is likely to be correlated with greater program scale... runs contrary to practice... where lower budgets are seen as an impetus for cost squeezing [and] higher value for money.”
Tulloch et al
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
“That greater cost efficiency is likely to be correlated with greater program scale... runs contrary to practice... where lower budgets are seen as an impetus for cost squeezing [and] higher value for money.”
Tulloch et al
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
December 26, 2024 at 2:06 PM
#humanitarian "value for money"?
“That greater cost efficiency is likely to be correlated with greater program scale... runs contrary to practice... where lower budgets are seen as an impetus for cost squeezing [and] higher value for money.”
Tulloch et al
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
“That greater cost efficiency is likely to be correlated with greater program scale... runs contrary to practice... where lower budgets are seen as an impetus for cost squeezing [and] higher value for money.”
Tulloch et al
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
“In nearly half of the 7,821 assessments analysed, [social workers] indicated that both an approval and a denial decision were possible.”
Insightful analysis from #Sweden illuminates the relationship between human judgment and means testing.
Hussenius et al
doi.org/10.1332/2755...
Insightful analysis from #Sweden illuminates the relationship between human judgment and means testing.
Hussenius et al
doi.org/10.1332/2755...
December 26, 2024 at 1:16 PM
“In nearly half of the 7,821 assessments analysed, [social workers] indicated that both an approval and a denial decision were possible.”
Insightful analysis from #Sweden illuminates the relationship between human judgment and means testing.
Hussenius et al
doi.org/10.1332/2755...
Insightful analysis from #Sweden illuminates the relationship between human judgment and means testing.
Hussenius et al
doi.org/10.1332/2755...
Can a "big push" program help conflict-affected households in Somalia? Yup...
(p.s. big push = cash (9 months) + asset or TVET training + coaching + financial literacy + business facilitation + savings groups + disaster risk training)
@kallehi.bsky.social et al
www.ifpri.org/blog/graduat...
(p.s. big push = cash (9 months) + asset or TVET training + coaching + financial literacy + business facilitation + savings groups + disaster risk training)
@kallehi.bsky.social et al
www.ifpri.org/blog/graduat...
December 20, 2024 at 9:37 PM
Can a "big push" program help conflict-affected households in Somalia? Yup...
(p.s. big push = cash (9 months) + asset or TVET training + coaching + financial literacy + business facilitation + savings groups + disaster risk training)
@kallehi.bsky.social et al
www.ifpri.org/blog/graduat...
(p.s. big push = cash (9 months) + asset or TVET training + coaching + financial literacy + business facilitation + savings groups + disaster risk training)
@kallehi.bsky.social et al
www.ifpri.org/blog/graduat...
The weekly links are wrapping up the year by featuring the top 100 #socialprotection papers of 2024, enjoy!
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-20...
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-20...
December 20, 2024 at 8:59 PM
The weekly links are wrapping up the year by featuring the top 100 #socialprotection papers of 2024, enjoy!
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-20...
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-20...
Insightful paper comparing the politics of #socialprotection in China, India and Turkey.
Roy et al:
www.ippjournal.org/uploads/1/3/...
Roy et al:
www.ippjournal.org/uploads/1/3/...
December 19, 2024 at 5:22 AM
Insightful paper comparing the politics of #socialprotection in China, India and Turkey.
Roy et al:
www.ippjournal.org/uploads/1/3/...
Roy et al:
www.ippjournal.org/uploads/1/3/...
Warning from #Sweden: automation of select administrative functions of #cashtransfers “… does not inherently lead to… faster and fairer eligibility [nor] a more client-centered approach in social assistance casework”.
Germundsson et al
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
Germundsson et al
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
December 18, 2024 at 10:38 PM
Warning from #Sweden: automation of select administrative functions of #cashtransfers “… does not inherently lead to… faster and fairer eligibility [nor] a more client-centered approach in social assistance casework”.
Germundsson et al
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
Germundsson et al
www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
How do women feel about #socialprotection in the OECD?
New study finds that “… women are far less confident than men in their ability to access adequate benefits and services when they need them, both in working age and old age”.
Frey et al
www.oecd.org/content/dam/...
New study finds that “… women are far less confident than men in their ability to access adequate benefits and services when they need them, both in working age and old age”.
Frey et al
www.oecd.org/content/dam/...
December 15, 2024 at 11:23 PM
How do women feel about #socialprotection in the OECD?
New study finds that “… women are far less confident than men in their ability to access adequate benefits and services when they need them, both in working age and old age”.
Frey et al
www.oecd.org/content/dam/...
New study finds that “… women are far less confident than men in their ability to access adequate benefits and services when they need them, both in working age and old age”.
Frey et al
www.oecd.org/content/dam/...
15 years of lessons from #Ethiopia’s PSNP, all in one great paper!
Hoddinott et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
Hoddinott et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
December 15, 2024 at 11:10 PM
15 years of lessons from #Ethiopia’s PSNP, all in one great paper!
Hoddinott et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
Hoddinott et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
New systematic lit review looks at #cashtransfers and other social assistance programs through a crisis lens in #Africa.
Hirvonen et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
Hirvonen et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
December 15, 2024 at 3:42 AM
New systematic lit review looks at #cashtransfers and other social assistance programs through a crisis lens in #Africa.
Hirvonen et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
Hirvonen et al
www.wider.unu.edu/sites/defaul...
Check out Part-I of a special edition of the weekly #socialprotection links, where 23 great minds share their suggested readings of 2024!
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-13...
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-13...
December 14, 2024 at 12:55 AM
Check out Part-I of a special edition of the weekly #socialprotection links, where 23 great minds share their suggested readings of 2024!
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-13...
www.ugogentilini.net/links-dec-13...
New Lancet article on universal #cashtransfers for children:
"universal child cash benefits should be at the forefront of the broader economic policy portfolio as an investment in a nation's health, sustainability, and global competitiveness".
Shaefer et al
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
"universal child cash benefits should be at the forefront of the broader economic policy portfolio as an investment in a nation's health, sustainability, and global competitiveness".
Shaefer et al
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
December 10, 2024 at 1:43 AM
New Lancet article on universal #cashtransfers for children:
"universal child cash benefits should be at the forefront of the broader economic policy portfolio as an investment in a nation's health, sustainability, and global competitiveness".
Shaefer et al
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
"universal child cash benefits should be at the forefront of the broader economic policy portfolio as an investment in a nation's health, sustainability, and global competitiveness".
Shaefer et al
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Boom!
#socialprotection helps but it is *not* enough.
"... in most countries in Africa, poverty rates increase after fiscal interventions, even in high- and middle-income countries, more so than [in contexts] with similar levels of development".
Sinha et al (eds)
www.worldbank.org/en/region/af...
#socialprotection helps but it is *not* enough.
"... in most countries in Africa, poverty rates increase after fiscal interventions, even in high- and middle-income countries, more so than [in contexts] with similar levels of development".
Sinha et al (eds)
www.worldbank.org/en/region/af...
December 6, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Boom!
#socialprotection helps but it is *not* enough.
"... in most countries in Africa, poverty rates increase after fiscal interventions, even in high- and middle-income countries, more so than [in contexts] with similar levels of development".
Sinha et al (eds)
www.worldbank.org/en/region/af...
#socialprotection helps but it is *not* enough.
"... in most countries in Africa, poverty rates increase after fiscal interventions, even in high- and middle-income countries, more so than [in contexts] with similar levels of development".
Sinha et al (eds)
www.worldbank.org/en/region/af...