Poverty Alleviation and Public Policy: Three Essays on the Impact of Cash Transfers on Adolescent and Young Adult Wellbeing

This dissertation extends the literature on social protection beyond short-term welfare gains. It highlights adolescence as a critical window through which poverty reduction policies can influence long-run health and economic outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. Using longitudinal data from large scale cash transfer programs in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, we investigate three interrelated dimensions of human development: long-run physical and mental health, educational trajectories around puberty and the development of non-cognitive skills. The first essay shows that adolescent exposure to Malawi’s Social Cash Transfer Program improves mental health and reduces the risk of developing hypertension in young adulthood. These findings suggest that poverty reduction during adolescence may help prevent the early onset of chronic conditions, an important implication in a region facing a growing burden of non-communicable diseases. The second essay demonstrates that early menarche is associated with lower educational attainment, earlier sexual debut, and earlier first pregnancy. These disruptions translate into meaningful reductions in expected lifetime earnings. The third paper explores whether exposure to Zambia’s Child Grant Program influenced adolescents’ socio-emotional development. Results show limited impacts on the Big Five personality traits and Grit, though longer program exposure is associated with modest increases in Conscientiousness.