New study finds that cash transfers to pregnant women halve infant mortality rate
Associate Professor Dennis Egger
A new study by Associate Professor Dennis Egger (Department of Economics and Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford) and fellow researchers reveals that giving unconditional cash transfers to pregnant women in rural Kenya significantly reduces infant and child mortality.
The research, conducted in partnership with co-authors Michael Walker, Nick Shankar, Edward Miguel, and Grady Killeen, evaluates the effects of a large-scale cash transfer programme operated by the non-government organisation GiveDirectly. Their findings show that providing a one-time, unconditional cash transfer of USD1,000—equivalent to around 75% of annual household income—reduced infant mortality by 49% and under-five mortality by 45% in households where the cash arrives just around the time of birth.
