In traditional conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs, aspirations (or beneficiaries' lack thereof) can have a significant impact on the success of the program. Women in particular often don't think they can influence or change their circumstances.

Working with ideas42, Andrea Vermehren and her team integrated behavioral "nudges" into a CCT program in Madagascar, having beneficiaries complete goal-setting activities in advance of receiving their cash. The intervention worked—the team found significant impacts of the behavioral nudges on both food security and child development outcomes.