Can cash transfers help break cycles of poverty across generations? This study, co-authored by DUPRI scholars Kenneth Dodge and Jennifer Lansford and published in Nature Communications, explores the impact of a casino-funded cash transfer program on educational outcomes among American Indian communities. Utilizing a difference-in-difference approach, researchers found that children of mothers exposed to cash transfers for a decade scored higher in math and reading than peers whose mothers received shorter exposure and were also likelier to pursue higher education and delay childbirth. Findings suggest that substantial cash transfers could mitigate intergenerational poverty and enhance the quality of life in underserved communities, particularly when initiated early in parental life.
