Story perspectives

Cash Transfers Double to $750 Boost Spending, Study Finds

By Drooid · Sep 24, 2026, 6:41 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Liberia’s government and GiveDirectly gave equal cash transfers to both partners in 2,300 households.
Each couple received $750 in four installments, double the usual $250 per household.
Researchers added a 45-minute joint financial planning session for half of the families.
Households with planning reported higher income and better spending on education, food, repairs.
Among couples previously at high risk for violence, planning coincided with a rise in intimate partner violence.

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Story summary

Liberia’s government and GiveDirectly gave equal cash transfers to both partners in 2,300 households.
Each couple received $750 in four installments, double the usual $250 per household.
Researchers added a 45-minute joint financial planning session for half of the families.
Households with planning reported higher income and better spending on education, food, repairs.
Among couples previously at high risk for violence, planning coincided with a rise in intimate partner violence.