Are Cash Grants (Just) a Jump-Start? Long-term evidence on the impacts of start-up grants in Uganda
Are Cash Grants (Just) a Jump-Start? Long-term evidence on the impacts of start-up grants in Uganda
Recent research suggests giving cash directly to the poor can have a range of benefits for recipients in the first few years, including increased consumption, assets, and food security, but little evidence exists on the long-term effects of cash transfers, particularly as a way to spur entrepreneurship and increase earnings. To shed light on this question, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation in Uganda of a government selfemployment program that provided cash grants of about $400 per person to groups of young adults to start a skilled trade. An IPA research team followed up after two, four, and nine years—providing some of the longest-term rigorous evidence on how start-up cash grants impact measures of poverty.