Social Protection
Worldwide, social protection programs such as cash or in-kind transfers and social insurance are growing in scope to help combat poverty and reduce inequality in low- and middle-income economies. Designing social protection programs for these contexts, however, entails challenges that differ from those faced in high-income economies. For example, governments in many low- and middle-income countries may not have data on people’s employment status and incomes, which makes it difficult to effectively target benefit programs to those most in need.
As social protection programs continue to grow in scope, it is critical that governments build robust systems that can both address long-term poverty and help vulnerable households adapt to economic, health, climatic, or other shocks.
In addition to supporting policymakers in applying evidence from randomized evaluations to their work, sector chairs and staff write policy insights that synthesize general lessons emerging from the research, condense results from evaluations in policy publications and evaluation summaries, and fund new research through the Social Protection Initiative.
Blog
O Efeito da Evidência: Como governos de países de baixa e média renda impulsionam e ampliam políticas eficazes de redução da pobreza
A maioria dos governos de países de baixa e média renda investe muito mais em seus próprios programas sociais — que incluem saúde, educação e redes de seguridade social — do que em toda a ajuda externa junta. Embora a ajuda externa tenha estado em evidência este ano, os governos de países de baixa e...
Policy insight
Building stable livelihoods for low-income households
A multifaceted livelihood program that provided low-income households with a productive asset, training, regular coaching, access to savings, and consumption support led to large and long-lasting positive impacts on their standard of living. Additionally, recipient households were better positioned...
Case study
Giving directly to support poor households
GiveDirectly has expanded its cash transfer program, which was found in a randomized evaluation to have improved economic and psychological well-being in Kenya, to reach over 1.6 million people in Bangladesh, DRC, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, and the United States.
Evaluation
Mobile Phone Data Compared to Household Surveys to Evaluate the Impact of Cash Transfers in Togo
In Togo, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test the effect of cash grants on people's welfare and if using mobile phone data in impact evaluations yielded the same results as survey data. They found that the cash grant program increased food security, mental health, and self-perceived...
Evaluation
The Impacts of In-kind Food Transfers versus Electronic Vouchers on Poverty Reduction in Indonesia
In partnership with the Government of Indonesia, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to compare the efficacy of vouchers versus in-kind transfers in reducing poverty and improving program delivery. The reform led to an increase in assistance received by eligible households, due to improved...
Case study
Designing a social protection program during Covid-19
J-PAL affiliated researchers supported the Government of Chile in designing a cash transfer program during the Covid-19 pandemic, which reached almost 3 million households.
File: Policy publication
Going the Last Mile: Lifting ultra-poor households out of extreme poverty
The Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (known as JEEViKA), NGO Bandhan-Konnagar, and J-PAL South Asia launched the Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana: Ending Ultra Poverty at Scale, a playbook developed for government and civil society organizations working towards ending extreme poverty. The...
Research Directions on Social Protection in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The Social Protection Initiative (SPI) funds randomized evaluations of social protection programs in low- and middle-income countries and supports policy engagement to share insights from completed research. To help diagnose the evidence gaps and provide a foundation and guide for SPI's funding...
