searched 21 databases.References were screened and data extracted on: country and government level of PB schemes; methods of evaluation and outcomes measured.A random 10% of references were double screened and we conducted duplicate data extraction for 20% of included studies. ResultsFrom 1254 identified references, 36 studies were included.Most studies (n = 25) evaluated PB in Latin America, four studies reported on PB in Europe.Most evaluations (n = 24) focussed on political outcomes such as participation in democratic allocation of public funds or impacts on political activities.Most were case studies using ethnographic or interview data.Six quantitative observational studies reported on health or social outcomes: infant mortality; poverty rates; education; and access to sanitation.There were one randomised controlled trial, seven quantitative observational studies, and six case studies evaluating economic impacts; outcomes included tax revenue, municipal spending on healthcare, sanitation and housing.Conclusions Despite the extensive literature on PB, evaluations applying robust methods to analyse health, social, political and economic outcomes are scarce.Implementation of PB schemes should be accompanied by rigorous qualitative and quantitative evaluation to identify impacts and the processes by which they are realised.