Cash Transfers During a Pandemic: Evidence from a Kenyan Slum

This study will deliver cash grants to female microenterprise owners in Dandora, Kenya during the COVID-19 outbreak. We conduct a randomized controlled trial to study the impact of unconditional cash transfers on economic outcomes both during and after the crisis. We will collect information about expectations, beliefs, and impact of any potential government policy responses on business outcomes. This panel data is collected by phone interview on an ongoing basis from early April until the end of August. The study population is composed of entrepreneurs in a dense informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya called Dandora. We track beliefs about the severity of the outbreak, beliefs about the effects it has on their businesses, and business outcomes, such as sales, pricing, costs, employment and inventories. We will have observations of study participants approximately every two weeks from April until August of 2020.