行为干预是否有助于经济包容计划的接受者更有效地利用他们的付款？加纳集群随机试验的证据

DISCUSSION PAPER No.2606|November 2025 Do Behavioral InterventionsHelp Economic Inclusion ProgramRecipients Make More ProductiveUse of their Payments? Mukta JoshiWen Wen TehAriadna VargasChristabel E. DadzieSaugato Datta © 2025 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433Telephone: +1 (202) 473 1000; Internet:www.worldbank.org. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do notnecessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent.The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shownon any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement oracceptance of such boundaries. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced,in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW,Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: +1 (202) 522 2625; e-mail:pubrights@worldbank.org. Do Behavioral Interventions HelpEconomic InclusionProgram Recipients Make MoreProductiveUse of their Evidence from a Cluster-Randomized Trial in Ghana Abstract Cashplus programs,which combine cash transfers with complementary services andinterventions, have become an increasingly popular tool for providing livelihood support andpoverty alleviation in low-and middle-income countries. While there is robust evidence toindicate that cash programs provide poverty relief in the short term, the impact of cash programson productive investment behaviors and activities is less understood. This study presents theresults of a cluster randomized trial that evaluates the effects of light-touch behavioral Using acluster-randomized trial(N=3,109), this study evaluatedthe effects of light-touchbehavioral interventions on recipients of a multi-faceted cash plus programforeconomicinclusion, which includedbusiness skills training, coaching and mentoring, and a cash grant to behaviors and financial resilience among poor households, complementing cash and training Keywords: Cash, cash plus, economic inclusion, productive inclusion, behavioral science, nudgesJEL Codes: I38, D91, D04, O12, D14 Table of Content 2 AbstractTable of ContentI.IntroductionII.Motivation and behavioral design 4 A.Background of Program III. Experimental design and data A.Sampling and assignmentB.Study implementationC.Data sources and collectionD.Key outcomes 20 IV. Results A.Sample statistics and balance testB.Do behavioral interventions improve savings behavior for productiveinvestment?C.Do behavioral interventions improve applications of business principles? V. DiscussionVI. Conclusion A.TABLES30 I.Introduction Cash transfers have well-documented positive effects on short-term indicators of economic well-being, ranging from household consumption expenditure (The Kenya CT-OVC Evaluation Team,2012; Haushofer and Shapiro 2016), food consumption (Adato & Bassett, 2009), nutritional However, it is also broadly recognized that cash transfers may not by themselves be enough tohelp people sustainably exit poverty, since this requires long-term changes in their incometrajectory beyond the immediate supplementation made possible by cashtransfers. Further,given that cash transfers tend to be focused on consumption, and therefore inherently small insize, they may be perceived to be insufficient for supporting sustainable livelihoods. This has led Foreconomicinclusionprogramming to achieve its objectives, however, recipients must makedecisions that enhance their long-term economic prospects. These decisions often involve facilitate such decision-making—critical as it is for these programs to achieve their goals—is thusan open one (Datta, et al. 2023b). Behavioral science offers valuable insights into these challenges. A large literature in behavioralscience documents that an individual’s context affects their ability to prioritize future-orientedactions in the face of pressing immediate needs, especially under conditions of scarcity (Dattaand Mullainathan 2012; Mullainathan and Shafir 2013). Many typical human psychology traits, Evidence also suggests that alleviating credit constraints alone, whether through cash transfersor bundled interventions such as training and business linkages, may not result in sustainedincome gains. For example, Brudevold-Newman et al. (2017) find that these measures, whilebeneficial in the short term, fail to generate long-term income i