More Is Better : Evaluating the Impact of a Variation in Cash Assistance on the Reintegration Outcomes of Returning Afghan Refugees
This paper studies the effect of a change in the amount of cash assistance provided to Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan on household outcomes post-return. Using a regression discontinuity design, it measures the impact of a large exogenous c...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/191991641827471161/More-Is-Better-Evaluating-the-Impact-of-a-Variation-in-Cash-Assistance-on-the-Reintegration-Outcomes-of-Returning-Afghan-Refugees http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36818 |
| Summary: | This paper studies the effect of a
change in the amount of cash assistance provided to Afghan
refugees returning from Pakistan on household outcomes
post-return. Using a regression discontinuity design, it
measures the impact of a large exogenous change in cash
assistance amounts on post-return outcomes in a
quasi-experimental setting. Administrative data and
post-return monitoring data suggest that more than 16 months
after their return, returnees who received a larger cash
allowance of $350 per returnee—equivalent to 2.5 times the
average annual pre-return annual income—were better off than
those who received a smaller cash allowance of $150.
Recipients of the $350 cash assistance were more likely to
invest in durable assets, such as a house (17 percentage
point difference); recipients of the $150 cash allowance
were more likely to use the assistance for immediate food
consumption needs (40 percentage point difference).
Households that received $350 per returnee were
significantly more likely to have been issued legal
documentation for their household members. In line with the
literature on cash assistance, the change in cash assistance
had no effect on post-return employment outcomes. The
findings provide new evidence on the effects of
unconditional cash transfers on refugee reintegration and
show that larger cash transfer programs can have a large and
long-term impact following refugees’ return. |
|---|