Research
Working Papers
Cash transfers and mental health: evidence from rural China
Draft available on request (with Stefan Pichler and Gerard van den Berg)
Abstract
The extent to which wealth and public policy can shape mental health outcomes has been studied previously, but how cash transfers in the form of noncontributory pensions can, either temporarily or permanently, alleviate mental illness remains unclear. This paper exploits the introduction of the New Rural Pension Scheme between 2009 and 2012 in rural China in a staggered difference-in-differences design using two-way-fixed effects and other estimators robust to heterogeneous treatment effects. Using CHARLS data from 2011-2018, we find ITT estimates of a 60% on pension takeup, and a 900 yuan increase in yearly pension income. Mental health improves through a reduction on the standardized CESD score by 0.1 SD among the compliers, or 3% fewer people above the threshold for depression.Work in Progress
Multimorbidity: permanent costs to bad health
Draft available on request