Publication:
The Earlier the Better? Cash Transfers for Drought Response in Niger

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorPople, Ashley
dc.contributor.authorPremand, Patrick
dc.contributor.authorDercon, Stefan
dc.contributor.authorVinez, Margaux
dc.contributor.authorBrunelin, Stephanie
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-06T14:02:42Z
dc.date.available2025-06-06T14:02:42Z
dc.date.issued2025-06-06
dc.description.abstractClimatic shocks exacerbate consumption volatility and seasonality. When facing fluctuations in labor needs and prices, low-income rural households may rationally increase their consumption during specific seasons rather than maintaining it constant throughout the year. This makes the optimal timing of policy responses to shocks ambiguous. This paper examines the impact of varying the timing of cash transfers in response to drought in Niger, leveraging satellite-based triggers for a faster response before the lean season. A randomized controlled trial compares large early transfers delivered before the lean season, a traditional humanitarian response during the lean season, and smaller regular transfers throughout the year. The results show that large early transfers yield greater net benefits on economic welfare and psychological well-being before and during the lean season compared to a traditional humanitarian lean season response. The large early transfers also tend to have larger effects than the year-long transfers. These welfare differences do not persist after the lean season and nine months later. The early timing of transfers shifts borrowing behavior but has no discernible impact on livelihoods. The findings demonstrate the value of sufficiently large early transfers in mitigating the effects of a severe drought in presence of seasonal fluctuations in labor needs and prices.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099739106042542554
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/43301
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWashington, DC: World Bank
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper; 11138
dc.rightsCC BY-NC 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo
dc.subjectFOOD SECURITY
dc.subjectCLIMATE CHANGE
dc.subjectSEASONALITY
dc.subjectDROUGHT
dc.subjectCASH TRANSFERS
dc.subjectTIMING
dc.subjectFIELD EXPERIMENT
dc.subjectSOCIAL PROTECTION
dc.titleThe Earlier the Better? Cash Transfers for Drought Response in Nigeren
dc.typeWorking Paper
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.associatedcontenthttps://reproducibility.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/278 Link to reproducibility package
okr.date.disclosure2025-06-06
okr.date.lastmodified2025-06-06T12:05:00Zen
okr.doctypePolicy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099739106042542554
okr.guid099739106042542554
okr.identifier.docmidIDU-91465f9e-0b3f-48d0-b44d-a79816d28283
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-11138
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum40019642
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum40019642
okr.identifier.reportWPOS11138
okr.import.id7587
okr.importedtrueen
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttps://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099739106042542554/pdf/IDU-91465f9e-0b3f-48d0-b44d-a79816d28283.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeAfrica Western and Central (AFW)
okr.region.countryNiger
okr.sectorFY17 - Social Protection
okr.sectorSocial Protection
okr.themeFY17 - Adaptation,FY17 - Social protection delivery systems,FY17 - Social Safety Nets,FY17 - Social Protection,FY17 - Climate change
okr.themeFY17 - Environment and Natural Resource Management,FY17 - Social Development and Protection
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Consumption
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Economic Development
okr.topicEnvironment::Climate Change Impacts
okr.unitHAWS2; DIME2 - DIME Gender
okr.unitEco Opp ＆ Fragility
relation.isAuthorOfPublication5a231532-1560-50a9-bcf7-6e4cd6e3ec2c
relation.isAuthorOfPublication851c7090-8a63-4ceb-85b2-616ae6edc65e
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery5a231532-1560-50a9-bcf7-6e4cd6e3ec2c
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
IDU-91465f9e-0b3f-48d0-b44d-a79816d28283.pdf
Size:
900.72 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
IDU-91465f9e-0b3f-48d0-b44d-a79816d28283.txt
Size:
210.5 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
Collections
Policy Research Working Papers