Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Innovations for Poverty Action

Titre : Inclusion and Resilience in National Safety Nets : A Four-Country Evaluation in the Sahel

Région /Pays : Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal)

Date : 2017-

Résumé
Households living in extreme poverty face a wide range of challenges that limit their ability to make productive investments or cope with unpredictable shocks such as droughts or disease. Productive inclusion programs combine cash transfers with trainings and other support to increase household earnings while also helping households withstand and recover from shocks. However, little is known about the impact of productive interventions when implemented at scale within national safety net systems, or about the optimal combination of interventions. In partnership with country governments and the World Bank, the research team has been evaluating how different productive packages impact the wellbeing and economic stability of safety net beneficiaries in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. In Niger, a multi-faceted economic inclusion program delivered to women beneficiaries of a national cash transfer program improved women’s consumption and food security, increased their off-farm business activities, and improved their psychosocial well-being.

Présentation
Households living in extreme poverty face many challenges that constrain their ability to earn a living. These constraints can range from lack of capital and skills to pervasive social norms, exposure to various types of shocks, or being disconnected from local markets. Although the combination of different interventions appears to be critical for sustained impact on productive inclusion,[1] research-to-date tends to focus on partnerships with nonprofit organizations, while the effectiveness of large-scale, government-led programs may differ from the efficacy of smaller-scale, non-governmental programs.

Social safety nets establish mechanisms to reach and provide consumption support to the poorest and most vulnerable households. A growing number of countries are seeking to implement packages of productive inclusion measures for safety net beneficiaries, including training programs, asset transfers, psychosocial support, and/or facilitated access to markets. However, little is known about the impact of multifaceted programs implemented through government systems, or about the optimal combination of productive measures to effectively lift households out of poverty.

Taille de l’échantillon  : Approximately 16,500 households, in 918 rural villages or urban neighborhoods, across four countries

Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA)