The health benefits of a targeted cash transfer: The UK Winter Fuel Payment
研究了英国冬季燃料补贴对老年人健康的影响，发现该无条件现金转移使血清纤维蛋白原高水平发生率降低6个百分点，表明可能带来健康益处。
Abstract Each year, the UK records 25,000 or more excess winter deaths, primarily among the elderly. A key policy response is the “Winter Fuel Payment” (WFP), a labelled but unconditional cash transfer to households with a member above the female state pension age. The WFP has been shown to raise fuel spending among eligible households. We examine the causal effect of the WFP on health outcomes, including self‐reports of chest infection, measured hypertension, and biomarkers of infection and inflammation. We find a robust, 6 percentage point reduction in the incidence of high levels of serum fibrinogen. Reductions in other disease markers point to health benefits, but the estimated effects are less robust.