How unconditional cash transfer policies impact young children and parents in the US: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Children in the US experience dramatically heightened likelihood of exposure to poverty and income inequality compared to peers in other wealthy nations, with significant negative repercussions for children’s development and family wellbeing. In response, efforts have emerged to test new policy levers seeking to improve family economic resources and hence children’s development, including unconditional cash transfer (UCT) policies- programs which provide money to individuals or families without behavioral conditions- which have shown promise in numerous other countries. It is essential to rigorously assess the effectiveness of these rapidly expanding policies to delineate impacts on children and families. Despite the rapid growth of UCT programs in the US, evidence from these programs has not yet been systematically reviewed. Prior reviews on UCT programs have primarily focused on LMICs, while existing reviews of UCT programs in the United States are all literature or scoping reviews that map the field and summarize general findings. Building on this prior work, our project will conduct a meta-analysis of US UCT programs’ impacts on child and family outcomes and a systematic review of their policy goals and designs. The project also broadens the scope of child outcomes examined in prior US-based reviews, which have focused primarily on health. In addition to the child and maternal physical and mental health outcomes emphasized in earlier reviews, our project will synthesize evidence on cognitive (e.g., early language skills), socioemotional (e.g., behavioral problems), and educational domains (e.g., enrollment) that have been measured in US UCT programs’ evaluation. Moreover, the project will examine age-related heterogeneity to assess whether children who receive UCTs during early childhood experience greater benefits than those in other developmental periods. Prior reviews have either not examined age differences or have focused on a single developmental stage, such as adolescence, with none assessing differences in policy impacts and designs across developmental periods. Finally, beyond family economic, mental health, and parenting outcomes commonly examined in UCT evaluations, our project will synthesize emerging evidence on parental psychological resilience, such as parents’ hope and agency. Prior research suggests that UCTs may promote positive parental experiences related to autonomy and dignity, which may differ from those associated with traditional income support or conditional cash transfer programs. Several UCT program evaluations have documented these experiences qualitatively, with a smaller number also measuring them quantitatively. Our project will provide a systematic synthesis of this understudied pathway through which UCT may influence child development.