Distributing Social Transfers in Rwanda

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the political dynamics shaping the distribution of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP). The research finds that, first, despite selecting ‘most likely’ cases for variation within Rwanda, there is little evidence of systematic variation in state capacity and programme implementation between research sites. This suggests that the government’s stated commitment to uniform implementation across the country may have addressed past variation in the reach of the state. Second, despite relatively high levels of infrastructural power across the sites, significant challenges remain. Notably, the pressures of top-down performance assessment have tended to prioritize the productive aspects of the programme, forcing local officials to make difficult choices that undermine the VUP’s protective role. As such, the chapter highlights the importance not just of infrastructural power, but the purposes for which that power is deployed.