The Impact of Shock-Responsive Social Cash Transfers: Evidence from an Aggregate Shock in Kenya.

This study examines the effects of a nationwide shock-responsive social cash transfer scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on highly risk susceptible informal economy households in Kenya. Leveraging primary in-person survey data in a doubly robust difference-in-differences framework, we...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Development Studies Vol. 61; no. 12; pp. 2010 - 2035
Autores principales: Strupat, Christoph, Nshakira-Rukundo, Emmanuel, Reichert, Arndt
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Dec2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=189213688&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 189213688
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00220388
        JDS
      jtl: Journal of Development Studies
      issn: 00220388
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Dec2025
      vid: 61
      iid: 12
      pid: 377
      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
    artinfo:
      ui:
        189213688
        10.1080/00220388.2025.2504425
      ppf: 2010
      ppct: 25
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
              db: hlh
              ui: 189213688
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              db: hlh
              ui: 189213688
      tig:
        atl: The Impact of Shock-Responsive Social Cash Transfers: Evidence from an Aggregate Shock in Kenya.
      aug:
        au:
          Strupat, Christoph
          Nshakira-Rukundo, Emmanuel
          Reichert, Arndt
        affil:
          Economic and Social Systems, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Bonn, Germany
          Institute for Food and Resource Economics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
          Climate Change, Development and Migration, RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, Essen, Germany
          Institute of Health Economics, Leibniz University Hannover, Hanover, Germany
      su:
        Kenya
        COVID-19 pandemic
        Food security
        Informal sector
        Poverty reduction
        Kenyans
        Conditional cash transfer programs
        Disaster resilience
      sug:
        subj:
          COVID-19 pandemic
          Food security
          Informal sector
          Kenya
          Poverty reduction
          Kenyans
          Conditional cash transfer programs
          Disaster resilience
      keyword:
        aggregate shock
        cash transfers
        COVID-19
        risk coping
        shock-responsiveness
        aggregate shock
        cash transfers
        COVID-19
        risk coping
        shock-responsiveness
      ab: This study examines the effects of a nationwide shock-responsive social cash transfer scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on highly risk susceptible informal economy households in Kenya. Leveraging primary in-person survey data in a doubly robust difference-in-differences framework, we find that households receiving shock-responsive cash transfers were less likely to encounter income loss, poverty, and food scarcity compared to households not receiving them. The scheme also reduced the likelihood of engaging in costly risk coping such as selling productive assets. When comparing different pillars of the scheme with varying degrees of shock-responsiveness, we observe that the impacts were statistically significant only when payment cycles were pooled and the transfers were vertically scaled. The study adds to the global policy discussion on developing effective shock-responsive interventions, underscoring the merits of shock-responsive social cash transfers during crises.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N