How does unconditional income for families in poverty affect parental investments for their young children? Mothers in four US metropolitan areas were randomized to receive a monthly unconditional cash transfer of either $333 per month (high) or $20 per month (low) for the first several years after childbirth. During the first 3 years, high-cash gift households spent more money on child-specific goods and more time on child-specific early learning activities than the low-cash gift group. Few changes were evident in other core household expenditures. Compared with low-cash gift families, high-cash gift families reported lower rates of public benefit receipt and fewer were residing in poverty, although mean income and wealth remain low for the majority of families by year 3. No statistically significant differences were evident in mothers’ participation in paid work, children’s time in childcare or mothers’ subjective wellbeing.

贫困家庭的无条件收入如何影响父母对幼儿的投资？美国四个大都市地区的母亲被随机分配，在产后的头几年每月接受 333 美元（高）或 20 美元（低）的无条件现金转移。在最初的三年里，高现金礼物家庭比低现金礼物家庭在儿童专用商品上花费更多的钱，在儿童专用的早期学习活动上花费更多的时间。其他核心家庭支出几乎没有明显变化。与低现金赠与家庭相比，高现金赠与家庭报告的公共福利领取率较低，贫困人口也较少，尽管到第三年大多数家庭的平均收入和财富仍然较低。母亲参与有酬工作、孩子照顾孩子的时间或母亲的主观幸福感。