Cover Image
QR Code

Unconditional cash transfers & voter turnout.

We estimate the effect of unconditional cash transfers on voter turnout, leveraging a large‐scale natural experiment, the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) program, which has provided residents with a check of varying size 1 month before election day since 1982. We find that larger transfers caus...

Full description

Published in:Economic Inquiry Vol. 63; no. 3; pp. 805 - 830
Main Authors: James, Alexander, Rivera, Nathaly M., Smith, Brock
Format: Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Jul2025
Subjects:
Apathy
Voter turnout
Gubernatorial elections
Election Day
Field research
Dividends
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:We estimate the effect of unconditional cash transfers on voter turnout, leveraging a large‐scale natural experiment, the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) program, which has provided residents with a check of varying size 1 month before election day since 1982. We find that larger transfers cause people to vote, especially in gubernatorial elections in which a 10% increase in cash ($190) causes a 1.4 percentage point increase in turnout. Effects are concentrated among the young and poor. Survey data suggests the mechanism is reduced voter apathy. Implications are discussed.