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Tracing the flow of money to reveal spatial effects and inequalities in cash transfer programmes

Eduardo Henrique Diniz et al.

Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space2026https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518x251413928article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This study investigates how municipal cash transfer programmes influence intra-urban inequality through the case of Maricá, Brazil. Using over 3.4 million transactions from a local digital currency, we trace the spatial flow of social benefits and assess economic spillovers via local multiplier (LM3) and urban scaling models. Despite a strong multiplier effect, spending is highly concentrated in a few retailers (Gini = 0.80), while neighbourhood-level business revenue scales superlinearly with social benefits (β = 1.15). These findings reveal how redistributive policies interact with spatial inequalities, offering new insights into the geography of welfare and the design of inclusive urban policy.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518x251413928

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@article{eduardo2026,
  title        = {{Tracing the flow of money to reveal spatial effects and inequalities in cash transfer programmes}},
  author       = {Eduardo Henrique Diniz et al.},
  journal      = {Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518x251413928},
}

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Tracing the flow of money to reveal spatial effects and inequalities in cash transfer programmes

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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