They found that giving the cash resulted in a range of benefits:
1 Those getting the payments spent more on heating fuel and clothes, and were "significantly more likely to own an oven and heater."
2 They were less likely to skip meals or have adults eat less to help children.
3 They were less likely to engage in child labor or physically dangerous work, or to sell productive assets.
4 Children in recipient families were more likely to go to school.
5 Families getting cash were less likely to report domestic disputes.
6 Those getting the cash worked a tiny bit less but there's barely any work to go around: recipient adults worked, on average, 2.7 hours in the past four weeks, compared to 3.1 for those not getting the cash.
7 Recipients spent no more on candy or beverages and significantly less on tobacco; once again, there's no evidence that poor people blow cash transfers on booze and cigarettes.
8 Survey responses suggest the cash "did not lead to increased crime or jealousy."
Further analysis suggested that there was no evidence of increased inflation due to the transfers and that every $1 spent on the transfer translated into $2.13 additional dollars for the Lebanese economy. It turns out when you help desperately poor people start spending money, the economy as a whole benefits.
