Are Behavioral Change Interventions Needed to Make Cash Transfer Programs Work for Children? Experimental Evidence from Myanmar

We experimentally evaluate the effect on child malnutrition of a maternal cash transfer program in Myanmar that was supplemented with social behavior change communication (SBCC) in a subset of villages. The combination of interventions significantly reduced stunting, while cash alone had no effect on stunting. SBCC appears to have worked in conjunction with cash to reduce stunting by encouraging mothers to increase children’s dietary diversity, in particular proteins consumed. The findings underscore the importance of adding SBCC to cash transfer programs.

Duke Scholars

Author Erica Field Economics