Revisiting the “Cash versus Food” Debate: New Evidence for an Old Puzzle?

Ugo Gentilini

79 citations0/0 files storedThe World Bank Research Observer

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Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics Child Nutrition and Water Access

Abstract

The longstanding "cash versus food" debate has received renewed attention in both research and practice. This paper reviews key issues shaping the debate and presents new evidence from randomized and quasi-experimental evaluations that deliberately compare cash and in-kind food transfers in ten developing counties. Findings show that relative effectiveness cannot be generalized: although some differences emerge in terms of food consumption and dietary diversity, average impacts tend to depend on context, specific objectives, their measurement, and program design. Costs for cash transfers and vouchers tend to be significantly lower relative to in-kind food. Yet the consistency and robustness of methods for efficiency analyses varies greatly.

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References

2009Conditional Cash Transfers 2003Grandmothers and Granddaughters: Old-Age Pensions and Intrahousehold Allocation in South Africa 1988Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World 2011Cash or Condition? Evidence from a Cash Transfer Experiment 2010Impact Evaluation in Practice 2013Intrahousehold Bargaining and Resource Allocation in Developing Countries 2008Transfers in Cash and In-Kind: Theory Meets the Data 2013Relative Effectiveness of Conditional and Unconditional Cash Transfers for Schooling Outcomes in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

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