Table 2.

Benefits and limitations of UCT schemes

Benefits	Outcome	Country
	Increase ability to pay for household amenities	South Africa22 27 86 87; Ethiopia88
	Reduction in stress levels	Malawi89; Zambia90 91; Mozambique, Yemen, Palestine92
	Increase access to a nutritionally complete diet	South Africa23 93; Malawi24 Ethiopia88
	Improved health status	South Africa22 23; Zambia94 Malawi95
	An improvement in self-worth and independence	Zambia92 94 South Africa96 Yemen97
Limitations	Reversal of health outcomes if UCTs are rescinded	South Africa22 23 93 98
	Long-term recipients find difficulties in securing employment UCTs are recinded	South Africa99
	Funds insufficient in reducing vulnerability, including meeting both healthcare, nutrition and household needs	South Africa,22 23 27 86 100–102 Zambia94 China,103 104 Peru36 Malawi,105 Vietnam106
	Inability to save a surplus income creates long term dependency on UCTs	South Africa86 96 99 102 107–110 Brazil77 111 112; Malawi51
	Majority of schemes include pre-existing poverty in the eligibility criteria and do not protect those who are vulnerable to poverty	Multiple (see 113–115)
	Funding levels do not recognise the nuance of different illnesses and the range of their respective costs.	Palestine116

UCTs, unconditional cash transfers.