Needy couples got cash and a spending plan.
asserted
couples → get → cash
Results were good — and bad
Since the early 2000s, countries have tried to lift people out of poverty with a simple program — giving them cash.
asserted
countries → try → cash
The idea is that a lump sum will help the poorest of the poor buy food, pay for school fees or build a business — like raising livestock — to make more money.
asserted
poorest → help → money
Study after study has shown these cash transfers are a reliable way to help families in extreme poverty build a source of income and support their own basic needs.
asserted
families → show → needs
The West African nation of Liberia is one of the countries that has seen success with cash transfers.
asserted
that → see → transfers
The average amount that the government gives to a needy household per year is $250, which goes a long way there.
asserted
which → give → way
The money goes to one member of the household to manage for the whole family.
asserted
money → go → family
"One of our key design components is that we target the female in the house," says Aurelius Butler, Liberia's national coordinator for social protection.
asserted
Butler → target → protection
Liberia, which is among the 10 poorest countries in the world, has a high rate of gender inequality.
asserted
which → have → inequality
Women face harassment and discrimination and lack opportunities in the workplace.
asserted
Women → face → workplace
In many families, the male head of household typically controls the funds, says Butler, and may not give their partners the money to cover basic needs for themselves and their family — like soap or food.
uncertain
Butler → control → soap
By targeting women in the cash aid program, Butler says the aim is to give them some economic control.
asserted
aim → target → control
"A lot of the men reported that they felt like they were being excluded," Butler says.
asserted
Butler → report → men
A different kind of "cash transfer"
So Liberia came up with a new approach.
asserted
Liberia → come → approach
With funding from the World Bank, the Liberian government and the nonprofit organization GiveDirectly designed a new cash transfer experiment: give both partners equal money and an equal say in how to spend it.
asserted
government → design → it
There were two goals, according to Sarika Gupta a senior economist at the World Bank and one of the lead researchers on a study about this project: help families generate more income and reduce household tension in a country where nearly 35% of women say they face intimate partner violence — higher than the world average of 27%.
uncertain
they → be → %
The results from the study were released in July.
asserted
results → release → July
In 2022, more than 2,300 households in the Maryland and Bomi counties of Liberia received $750 in four installments — more than double the amount typically given to a household in cash aid programs since both partners got an equal payout.
asserted
partners → receive → payout
To encourage partners to share in decision making, researchers added a joint financial planning element for half of those families.
asserted
researchers → encourage → families
"The way joint financial planning works is, we sit down with the couple for about 45 minutes and ask them to detail their plan," Butler says.
asserted
Butler → work → plan
"Is it to fix something within the house?
asserted
it → fix → house
Is it to maybe just buy food, or is it to invest in education, planting or build a business?"
asserted
it → buy → business
Since the literacy rate in rural areas is low, the researchers also created posters for each family to document their plans.
asserted
researchers → create → plans
"It just had a picture of a family happy together, and then it had empty boxes for them to list their four top spending priorities for the cash transfer that was coming," says Gupta.
asserted
Gupta → have → transfer
The couples were also given a stack of stickers to indicate what they wanted if they weren't able to write things down: a stack of books meant education, a stethoscope and syringe meant healthcare.
asserted
stethoscope → give → healthcare
"And the poster stays with the couple, and they can put it on their wall so they can see it.
asserted
they → stay → it
It's like a constant reminder of what they've kind of committed to," Gupta says.
asserted
Gupta → commit → what
Gupta and other researchers followed the households for a year after they received the cash.
asserted
they → follow → cash
The results showed that planning works.
asserted
planning → show → ?
"Households that received the planning actually were even better off economically than households who received only the cash transfer," Gupta says.
asserted
Gupta → receive → transfer
One of the participants is Christian — who only provided her first name for the program.
asserted
who → provide → program
She works on a farm, and her husband gathers latex from trees for rubber making.
asserted
husband → work → making
In the joint planning session they agreed on spending priorities: education, food and home repairs.
asserted
they → agree → priorities
Christian used her cash to pay school fees for their five kids, buy rice and pay off debt.
asserted
Christian → use → debt
Her husband bought solar light bulbs and cement to patch their leaky roof.
asserted
husband → buy → roof
Researchers looked at any past history of partner violence in participating couples, interviewing them before giving the cash and then checking in a year later to see if there had been any issues after the cash was received.
asserted
cash → look → cash
A surprising consequence
Researchers were surprised by what they found.
asserted
they → surprise → what
But that was not the case for couples determined to be at high risk for violence based on previous incidents.
asserted
that → determine → incidents
Even though there was an increase in income from the cash transfer, there was also "an increase in intimate partner violence" — but only among those who'd received the planning session, says Gupta.
asserted
Gupta → be → session
"It is quite clear that it's something in the shift about couples deciding together [that led to the increase in violence]," says Amber Peterman, an impact evaluation specialist at UNICEF who was not involved in the research.
asserted
who → decide → research
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
