"The Design and Impact of Cash Transfers: Experimental Evidence from Compton, California"

Randomly chosen low-income households in Compton, CA received unconditional
cash transfers averaging roughly $500 monthly. Half received transfers twice monthly,
half quarterly. Eighteen months later, twice-monthly transfers improved food security
relative to quarterly transfers, but had no other differential effects on pre-specified
main outcomes. Averaging across frequencies, monthly income (excluding transfers)
was lower than controls by $333, and expenditures (excluding major durables) by $302,
without changes in other primary outcomes, including overall labor supply. In line
with this, we find suggestive evidence that households paid down debt and purchased
durables. Transfers also affected part-time work, housing security, and violence.