A Comparison of Cash Transfer Programs in the Global North and South

Over the last two decades, unconditional cash transfers have become an increasingly widespread tool to address poverty in low- and middle-income countries. In the same period, however, cash transfer programs remained virtually non-existent in high-income countries, due in part to the benefits cliff (i.e., potentially losing existing social benefits to receive the cash transfer), funding constraints, and wavering political support. In the last few years, however, cash transfer programs have expanded in North America and Europe, enabling comparisons between the emerging literature in Global North and the existing evidence in the Global South for the first time. The goal of this chapter is to review the research on cash transfer programs in the Global North and South to identify similarities and differences in program design, participation, operation, and outcomes. Our aim is to shed light on the research landscape and to identify knowledge gaps that can help inform the development of future programs