2023
Chapter
Using Cash Transfers to Build an Inclusive Society: A Behaviourally Informed Approach

Don't Waste Recipients' Time: How to Save and Give Time in Cash Transfer Programs

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Abstract

A critical, overlooked benefit of cash transfers, relative to other forms of economic assistance, is that they can be provided without imposing significant time-costs. Innovations in financial technology have made it possible to provide cash transfers to even the poorest and most remote recipients with minimal time-costs. However, cash transfer programs must be carefully designed in order to realize these time-saving benefits. In this chapter, we analyze the role of time in cash transfer programs. First, we examine how cash transfers programs can be designed, implemented, and evaluated to maximize the time-saving benefits for recipients. Second, we propose a new model for poverty alleviation programs that involves combining cash transfers and time transfers.

Keywords

Cash Transfer Programs; Time; Poverty; Cash; Programs

Citation

West, Colin, and Ashley Whillans. "Don't Waste Recipients' Time: How to Save and Give Time in Cash Transfer Programs." Chap. 8 in Using Cash Transfers to Build an Inclusive Society: A Behaviourally Informed Approach, edited by Jiaying Zhao, Saugato Datta, and Dilip Soman. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, forthcoming.