We recruited criminally engaged men and randomized one-half to eight weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to foster self-regulation, patience, and a noncriminal identity and lifestyle. We also randomized $200 grants. Cash alone and therapy alone initially reduced crime and violence, but effects dissipated over time. When cash followed therapy, crime and violence decreased dramatically for at least a year. We hypothesize that cash reinforced therapy’s impacts by prolonging learning-by-doing, lifestyle changes, and self-investment.
Category: | Publications |
Country: | Liberia |
Language: | English |
Year: | 2017 |
Institution: | American Economic Review |
Author: | Christopher Blattman, Julian C. Jamison, and Margaret Sheridan |