Ugo Gentilini (2022) Cash Transfers in Pandemic Times: Evidence, Practices and Implications from the Largest Scale Up in History

Is Covid-19 a “game changer” for cash transfers? This tantalizing question has animated a large body of recent literature and over 60 virtual panels. This paper offers some clues to address the question by bringing together data, evaluations and practical experiences generated over the course of the pandemic. In particular, the paper flashes out differences between Covid-19 and other crises; it lays out an anatomy of global responses and offers novel data analysis around stylized international trends; synthesizes fresh empirical evidence on response effectiveness based on over 40 evaluations; discusses country-level operational practices as emerging from an array of high and lower-income contexts; and distills key insights with possible future implications.

The paper is the result of two years of work on Covid-19 responses at analytical and operational level as part of the World Bank’s Social Safety Nets Global Solutions Group. It counted with conversations with policymakers, practitioners, and researchers emerging over the course of numerous meetings and events held in 2020-2022.

A short summary of the paper can be found in the blog 'Ten lessons from the largest scale up of cash transfers in history', also authored by Ugo Gentilini. 

Original source: World Bank Document