Webinar: Cash transfer programs and intimate partner violence – Lessons from 3 case studies around the globe

WEBINAR: CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE – LESSONS FROM 3 CASE STUDIES AROUND THE GLOBE

by PIM | March 5, 2018

See the presentation on SlideShare:


Webinar overview

A study participant in Bangladesh holding her beneficiary card, surrounded by her family. Photo: Shalini Roy, IFPRI.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most pervasive form of violence globally—with 1 in 3 women physically or sexually abused by a partner in her lifetime. IPV has multiple malign consequences for the physical and mental health of women, as well as a range of adverse effects on their children. While these consequences are well documented, there is less evidence on the effectiveness of policies and programs in reducing IPV in the developing world. Drawing mainly from Latin America, several recent studies find evidence that cash transfer programs, targeted primarily to women, can reduce IPV. Given that cash transfer programs are widespread around the world – implemented in over 130 countries and reaching approximately 718 million people globally – they represent a promising, scalable, globally-relevant approach to reducing IPV. However important questions remain as to the generalizability of existing findings.

In this webinar, we will briefly describe a framework for potential pathways through which transfers can affect IPV, then showcase 3 PIM-funded studies that explore important knowledge gaps on the impacts of transfer programs on IPV. The three case studies draw from countries around the globe – Ecuador, Bangladesh, and Mali – and address 3 distinct policy-relevant questions about how transfer programs can reduce IPV:

  1. Does the modality of transfer provided – food, cash, voucher – matter for impacts on IPV? (Ecuador)
  2. What happens to IPV after a transfer program ends, and does it depend on complementary activities provided along with transfers?  (Bangladesh)
  3. What are the impacts on IPV when cash transfers are targeted primarily to men, and does it depend on household structure? (Mali)

We conclude with lessons learned from these case studies that can inform future policy aimed at using transfers to reduce IPV.

 Related reading:

Cash or food transfers combined with behavior change communication reduce intimate partner violence: evidence from Bangladesh

Can cash transfers prevent intimate partner violence?

About the presenters

Melissa Hidrobo is a Research Fellow in the Poverty Health and Nutrition Division of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). She is an applied microeconomist working at the intersection of gender, early childhood development, agriculture, and social protection. Her gender research focuses on how social protection programs affect intrahousehold dynamics, and how intrahousehold dynamics affect agriculture production. She has investigated the impacts of cash transfers programs and food assistance programs through her work with the Bono de Desarrollo Humano Program and the World Food Program in Ecuador, and the Jigisemejiri program in Mali. Her current works involves impact evaluations of nutrition-sensitive agricultural and social protection programs in Mali, Ghana, and Senegal. Melissa holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Shalini Roy is a Research Fellow in the Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Her research focuses on households’ economic behavior related to social protection, nutrition, agriculture, gender, and early childhood development. Much of her work is based on impact evaluations of development programming in these areas, with a particular interest in how programs both affect and are affected by intrahousehold dynamics. Her work spans South Asia (with a regional focus in Bangladesh), Africa, and Latin America.

Recent research includes comparing impacts of food and cash transfers on food security, nutrition, gender dynamics, and early childhood development in Bangladesh and Uganda; evaluating impacts of large-scale cash transfer projects in Mali, Brazil, and Mexico; and assessing gender- and nutrition-related impacts of agricultural projects in Bangladesh. Shalini has been at IFPRI since 2009 and holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

About PIM webinars

The PIM webinars aim to share findings of PIM’s research, discuss their application, and get feedback and suggestions from participants. Webinars are conducted by PIM researchers in the form of research seminars. Each webinar is a live event consisting of a presentation (30 min) and a facilitated Q&A session (30 min).

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June 28, 2017. Presenter: Mark Rosegrant, Director of the Environment and Production Technology Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

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April 21, 2016. Presenters: Cheryl Doss (Yale/PIM) and Caitlin Kieran (PIM/IFPRI)