The impact of earned and windfall cash transfers on livelihoods and conservation in Sierra Leone
3ie Impact Evaluation Report 46
Bulte, E, Conteh, B, Kontoleon, A, List, J, Mokuwa, E, Richards, P, Turley, T and Voors, M,
This study by Bulte et al. measures the impact of a cash transfer programme aimed at alleviating poverty and reducing pressure on the natural environment in Sierra Leone. Researchers offered aid to 91 rural communities, which are dependent on slash-and-burn agriculture in three forms: as windfall transfers; aid distributed through chieftains; and an aid-for-work programme. The study concludes that the manner in which aid is distributed — communal versus individual and windfall versus earned — has a significant effect on how the aid will be used.
