discussion paper

Transfers, nutrition programming, and economic well-being: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh

by Akhter Ahmed,
John F. Hoddinott,
Shalini Roy and
Esha Sraboni
ifpri discussion paper | 2019 | Pages: 41
DOI : https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133450
Open Access
Citation
Ahmed, Akhter; Hoddinott, John F.; Roy, Shalini; and Sraboni, Esha. 2019. Transfers, nutrition programming, and economic well-being: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1879. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133450

Interest has grown in leveraging cash transfer programs with nutrition interventions to improve child nutrition at scale. However, little is known about how doing so affects household economic well-being. We study a program providing cash or food transfers, with or without nutrition behavior change communication (BCC), to poor women in rural Bangladesh. We find that adding BCC to cash or food transfers leads to larger impacts on both consumption and assets - an apparent puzzle, given the transfer value is unchanged. Evidence suggests this occurs through the BCC inducing increases in income generation - plausibly by improving households’ social capital and empowerment.

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Topics
Nutrition
Food Security
Social Protection
Poverty
Countries
Bangladesh
South Asia
Asia
Divisions
Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM)
Poverty, Health, and Nutrition (PHND)

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