The relationship between cash-based interventions and violence: A systematic review and evidence map

Violence of all types is a global public health problem. Cash-based incentives can potentially reduce violence outcomes by reducing economic hardership. We aim to deliver a comprehensive systematic review of the relationship between cash-based incentives with a variety of violence outcomes.

We searched studies assessing the relationship between cash-based incentives with violence outcomes at PubMed, EMBASE, Global Health and LILACS from the database's creation until July 12th, 2023. We evaluated the relationship of cash-based incentives on five types of violence outcome: intimate partner violence (IPV), child maltreatment, suicide, youth violence, and general violence. Cash-based incentives were grouped into Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), Unconditional Cash Transfer (CCT), cash in combination with interventions other than cash(cash+), tax credits, cash for work and start-up grants. We classified the strength of evidence according to the study design and quality. An evidence map was developed to indicate gaps in the literature and impact (reduction, null and mixed). This systematic review is registered on PROSPERO, number CRD42020167049. The strength of evidence was mainly classified as moderate, or limited. The evidence map indicated research gaps on the effect of cash+ and cash for work on suicide and general violence, tax credit on general violence and start-up grants on child maltreatment, suicide, and general violence.

Despite the important number of mixed evidence, we found strong and very strong evidence that cash-based interventions reduced transactional and age-disparate sex among girls, suicide, IPV victimisation, physical, emotional and sexual IPV, and physical child maltreatment. Future studies should focus on the gaps found in this review.