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Unconditional cash transfers for families with children in the U.S.: a scoping review

Publication ,  Journal Article
Shah, H; Gennetian, LA
Published in: Review of Economics of the Household
June 1, 2024

Children represent the largest indirect beneficiaries of the U.S. social welfare system. Yet, many questions remain about the direct benefits of cash aid to children. The current understanding of the impacts of cash aid in the U.S. is drawn primarily from studies of in-kind benefits, tax credits, and conditional cash aid programs. A corresponding economics literature focuses on the role of income and the labor supply responses of parents, parenting skills, and early education as family investment mechanisms that reduce socioeconomic inequality in children’s well-being. In contrast to the U.S., dozens of low- to middle-income nations use direct cash aid—conditional or unconditional—as a central policy strategy, with demonstrated positive effects across a host of economic and health measures and selected aspects of children’s health and schooling. This paper reviews the economic research on U.S. safety net programs and cash aid to families with children and discusses what existing studies reveal about the impacts of cash aid on family investment mechanisms and children’s outcomes. We specifically highlight gaps in understanding the impacts of unconditional cash aid on children. We then review nine contemporary unconditional cash transfer programs and discuss their promise and limitations in filling the U.S.-based economic evidence gap.

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Published In

Review of Economics of the Household

DOI

EISSN

1573-7152

ISSN

1569-5239

Publication Date

June 1, 2024

Volume

22

Issue

2

Start / End Page

415 / 450

Related Subject Headings

  • Economics
  • 3801 Applied economics
  • 1499 Other Economics
  • 1402 Applied Economics
 

Citation

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Shah, H., & Gennetian, L. A. (2024). Unconditional cash transfers for families with children in the U.S.: a scoping review. Review of Economics of the Household, 22(2), 415–450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-023-09672-8
Shah, H., and L. A. Gennetian. “Unconditional cash transfers for families with children in the U.S.: a scoping review.” Review of Economics of the Household 22, no. 2 (June 1, 2024): 415–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-023-09672-8.
Shah H, Gennetian LA. Unconditional cash transfers for families with children in the U.S.: a scoping review. Review of Economics of the Household. 2024 Jun 1;22(2):415–50.
Shah, H., and L. A. Gennetian. “Unconditional cash transfers for families with children in the U.S.: a scoping review.” Review of Economics of the Household, vol. 22, no. 2, June 2024, pp. 415–50. Scopus, doi:10.1007/s11150-023-09672-8.
Shah H, Gennetian LA. Unconditional cash transfers for families with children in the U.S.: a scoping review. Review of Economics of the Household. 2024 Jun 1;22(2):415–450.
Journal cover image

Published In

Review of Economics of the Household

DOI

EISSN

1573-7152

ISSN

1569-5239

Publication Date

June 1, 2024

Volume

22

Issue

2

Start / End Page

415 / 450

Related Subject Headings

  • Economics
  • 3801 Applied economics
  • 1499 Other Economics
  • 1402 Applied Economics