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The Review of Economics and Statistics Vol. 101 No. 5 2019

Transfers, Behavior Change Communication, and Intimate Partner Violence: Postprogram Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

Shalini Roy1; Mélissa Hidrobo1; John Hoddinott2; Akhter Ahmed1

1 International Food Policy Research Institute · 2 Cornell University

open access

Abstract

Transfer programs have been shown to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV), but little evidence exists on how activities linked to transfers affect IPV or what happens when programs end. We assess postprogram impacts on IPV of randomly assigning women in Bangladesh to receive cash or food, with or without nutrition behavior change communication (BCC). Six to ten months postprogram, IPV did not differ between women receiving transfers and a control group; however, women receiving transfers with BCC experienced 26% less physical violence. Evidence on mechanisms suggests sustained effects of BCC on women's “threat points,” men's social costs of violence, and household well-being.

DOI
10.1162/rest_a_00791
Volume
101
Issue
5
Pages
865-877
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref

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