This paper examines six common perceptions around unconditional cash transfer programming using evaluations from sub-Saharan Africa. It looks at the perception that transfers lead to higher alcohol or tobacco use, create dependency and are fiscally unsustainable.
The researchers refute these claims and argue they are harming potential increases to community and family well-being in the region, and elsewhere, due to the potential benefits of unconditional cash transfers. The paper appears in the The World Bank Research Observer.