Abstract
Prior work, largely in low-income countries, has argued that unconditional cash transfers (UCTs; funds given regardless of a recipient’s behavior) can improve the outcomes of people in poverty. Despite widespread enthusiasm for UCTs, there is little work testing their effectiveness in high-income countries. In this trial, we will randomly assign 5,000 low-income individuals in the United States to receive either no cash, $500, or $2,000 in a one-time, lump-sum payment. We will then measure the effects of these transfers on financial, psychological, cognitive capacity, and physical health outcomes at different time intervals, from one week to several months. These comprehensive data will allow us to assess not only whether UCTs are effective at improving outcomes, but also establish which outcomes they improve the most, how much money is needed to generate the effects, and how long those effects last.
Study ID sspp-2020-0016-v1
Authors
Oliver Hauser, Jon Jachimowicz, Julian Jamison, Ania Jaroszewicz
Discipline
Economics, Psychology
Field
Development Economics, Behavioural Science, Behavioral Economics
Completion Time
10 Minutes
Close Date
April 15, 2021
Citation
Hauser, Oliver, Jachimowicz, Jon, Jamison, Julian, and Ania Jaroszewicz. 2020. "A Randomized Controlled Trial Varying Unconditional Cash Transfer Amounts in the US." Social Science Prediction Platform. November 15.
https://socialscienceprediction.org/s/zfy6bx
Incentive Details
Incentive Type
Based on forecast accuracy
Calculation Method
Continuous: Based on absolute forecast accuracy
Recipient Pool
Incentives are lottery-based
Lottery Percentage
1.0%