Cash Transfers as Social Policy for Tackling the Social Determinants of Health: A Realist Evaluation

This thesis examines how cash transfers (CTs) work to influence the social determinants of health (SDoH), and the factors affecting health sector involvement in CTs. The results show that CTs are effective in tackling SDoH such as poverty, education, child labour, nutrition and risky sexual behaviours. To optimise CTs’ impact, significant changes in intersectoral collaboration, creation of a shared vision across sectors, and beneficiaries’ voice in program decision-making are required. The study further shows that for CTs to contribute to reducing health inequities, the health sector should be actively engaged in program design, implementation and evaluation.