Join Professor Stefan Dercon and Dr Flavia Galvani for a talk with Ugo Gentilini about his new book, Timely Cash: Lessons from 2,500 Years of Giving People Money.

Cash transfers, or the provision of money to people by the state, reach hundreds of million people worldwide. But when did they start, and how did they spread over countries and centuries? How did past practices look like, and how did they evolve? Why, despite compelling evidence, are policymakers sometimes skeptical about cash transfers? Ugo Gentilini ​explores those questions by tracing cash transfers over history, codifying diversity in experiences, and identifying recurrent patterns. In doing so, the volume helps illuminate the roots of modern cash transfer dilemmas and reveals how the past can offer surprising lessons for contemporary debates.

The event is followed by a drinks reception.

Ugo Gentilini

Ugo Gentilini serves as Lead Economist for Social Protection and Jobs at the World Bank. With 25 years of professional experience, his work combines empirical inquiry and policy design in countries across the income spectrum. Ugo’s numerous publications explore the intersection between social protection systems and a wide range of themes, such as labor markets, human development, crisis preparedness and response, food security and nutrition, urbanization, and humanitarian assistance. Before joining the World Bank, he spent a decade with the United Nations World Food Programme. Ugo holds a PhD in Development Economics and produces a weekly newsletter on social protection reaching a wide global audience (www.ugogentilini.net).