Cash transfer programs have shown mostly consistent success at improving conditions that matter for development; smoothing consumption, increasing school attendance and health care, sometimes improving nutritional status and helping with the accumulation of productive assets, among others. This event will highlight cash transfers as a tool for development, and pose the questions: when are cash transfers better than traditional foreign aid? And should aid be benchmarked against the cost-effectiveness of cash transfers?
Opening keynote remarks from Paul Niehaus, co-founder of GiveDirectly and Professor at the University of California San Diego, argue for benchmarking in-kind aid interventions against cash transfers, and is followed in Part II by a debate on the relevance and feasibility of this approach. Jenny Aker, Jishnu Das, and Sudhanshu Handa will argue for benchmarking, while Ferdinando Regalia, David Roodman, and Bill Savedoff will argue against. Audience Q&A will follow.
