Poverty Programs Research Articles

An Assessment of Poverty Reduction Strategies Implemented by District Assemblies in Ghana: The Experience of Beneficiaries in Savelugu-Nanton

Poverty reduction remains a significant challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Ghana, where district assemblies are tasked with implementing local interventions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of poverty reduction interventions by the Savelugu- Nanton Municipal Assembly (SNMA), focusing on infrastructure and non-infrastructure programmes. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were gathered from 353 households and supplemented with insights from 32 opinion leaders and 4 key informants. Infrastructure interventions, including roads, dams, and electricity, were reported to have significantly improved livelihoods, with 60.1% of respondents citing enhanced economic opportunities. These findings align with literature emphasizing infrastructure’s critical role in poverty alleviation by facilitating access to markets and services (Adjei & Osei, 2021). Conversely, non- infrastructure interventions, particularly the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, were less effective. While LEAP improved social inclusion, 80.2% of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with its impact on economic independence. This supports critiques of cash transfer programmes that advocate integrating them with vocational training and credit access for sustainable outcomes (Owusu, 2020). The study further underscores the importance of participatory governance. Limited beneficiary involvement in planning contributed to a misalignment between interventions and community needs. As Freire (1970) posits, active community participation enhances programme relevance and sustainability. Additionally, the financial sustainability of these programmes remains at risk due to SNMA’s reliance on external funding. Strengthening local resource mobilisation through taxes and levies is critical for long-term success (Ndlovu- Gatsheni, 2020). Overall, this study highlights the need for sustainable infrastructure investment, restructuring non-infrastructure interventions for long-term economic empowerment, and fostering participatory governance to ensure effective poverty reduction.

Increased Poverty: The Failure of Government Programs and the Natural Resource Factor

The Indonesian government, including local governments, has spent large sums of money and many programs to reduce poverty. However, in several regions in Indonesia, the number of poor people has increased, as in Central Kalimantan, where the poverty rate has increased in the last three years. The number of poor people in Central Kalimantan in 2020 is 132 thousand people; this number increased to 140 thousand people in 2021, then increased again to 145 thousand in 2022. Research on poverty has been carried out in Indonesia. However, research analyzing poverty caused by natural factors and mismanaged government policies has not been carried out. This research was conducted to analyze poverty in Central Kalimantan between state policy governance factors and natural factors. The research uses analytical qualitative methods and case study designs. The analysis uses the new institutional theory and the natural resource curse theory. The research finds that mistakes in managing government policies (structural dimension) and nature (natural dimension) are factors that both play a role in increasing poverty in Central Kalimantan. As a practical suggestion, the government needs to make more intense and detailed efforts to alleviate poverty in Central Kalimantan that are adapted to natural conditions. Keywords: poverty in Indonesia, poverty programs, the curse of natural resources

Do social cash transfers bridge the wellbeing gender gap in developing countries? The case of Ghana’s LEAP programme

ABSTRACT Gender inequality remains a significant problem in Ghana with many women socially and economically disadvantaged. Social protection interventions, in particular cash transfer programmes, have the potential to increase wellbeing and reduce gender gaps in poor households. This article analyses the wellbeing differences between men and women beneficiaries of Ghana's Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. Using a multiple regression moderation interaction model, we analyse six wellbeing dimensions (financial, health, education, food, housing and social) of 322 LEAP cash transfer beneficiaries in Ghana's KEEA district. We found that female-headed households achieve better wellbeing than male-headed households when LEAP income is paid at regular intervals. Regular LEAP payments also reduce gender gaps in wellbeing. These findings contribute to the design of policies seeking to bridge the wellbeing gap between men and women.

The politics of beneficiary selection: A case study of Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash transfer programme

In communities of Sub-Saharan Africa, where local elites participate in the selection of households for cash transfers, there is a tendency to deviate from laid down rules for various reasons. Using qualitative data from selected districts where Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme is implemented, this study investigates the reasons why district and community elites deviate from prescribed selection processes of the LEAP programme. Drawing on the concept of competitive clientelism, the findings suggest that elites are deeply guided by political patronage to fulfil one primary goal, protecting their role in office. Such ambition is facilitated by the discretionary power accorded to elites by the local government system and socio-cultural values deeply rooted in Ghanaian society. In conclusion, the study draws out key lessons from the analysis and suggests a design of beneficiary selection frameworks that acknowledges the nature of domestic politics, institutions of power and powerful actors at the subnational level. The article also highlights the implications of the findings for the broad politics of social protection literature.

The Impact of Administrative Burdens in Ghana’s LEAP Cash Transfer Programme: Insights for Enhancing Well-being

This article reports experiences and challenges connected with Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme and its implications for grant access and impacts on recipients’ well-being. Engaging with the administrative burden’s framework, we find that inadequate information; transport, timing and financial barriers to accessing payments; irregularity of payments; electronic payment difficulties; gift giving to programme administrators; and lack of access to complementary services are the key administrative challenges watering down the LEAP impacts on recipients’ well-being. We recommend establishing an appropriate information delivery system, feedback and monitoring mechanisms, providing other productivity-enhancing services to complement the LEAP grant, strengthening the local implementation structures and payment procedures and reducing travel costs and waiting time for service delivery.

The politics of the targeting and expansion of pro-poor programs in Ghana

ABSTRACT The paper examines how the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty program in Ghana is politicised and its implications for poverty reduction. Data from 26 in-depth interviews and 12 focus group discussions were analysed. The paper observes that a broad cross-party consensus exists because the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program has been politicised by the two main political parties, namely the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party, who target the policy to their politically supportive districts and communities. The key pathway for the politicisation and subsequent expansion of the program is partisan manipulation of the District Level Implementation Committees (DLICs), partisan selection of beneficiaries, and party membership card as a requirement for inclusion. These political considerations tend to result in wrong targeting, where undeserving beneficiaries are included, thereby undermining sustained poverty reduction and inclusive development potential of the LEAP program.

The Implementation of Poverty Alleviation Policy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Pekalongan Regency, Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the perception of poverty, necessitating rapid and urgent implementation of an affirmative policy. COVID-19 has significantly affected the economy, health, children's education, and employment rates. The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the number of low-income families in Indonesia's urban and rural areas in 2020 was 26.42 million. This figure increased by 5.09 percent compared with 2019, which was 25.14 million. This issue is challenging to address because of budgetary constraints. Numerous policies have been implemented to mitigate poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic, but these efforts have not yielded significant results. This study aims to analyze the implementation of poverty alleviation policies during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pekalongan Regency, Indonesia. This mixed-methodology study collected data through surveys with 150 respondents and in-depth interviews with ten low-income families, community leaders, and local government actors. These results indicate that poverty alleviation policies during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been fully implemented. Inhibiting factors include the accessibility of poverty programs and activities, the high number of impoverished individuals affected by COVID-19, and the diversion of local government funds to address COVID-19.

Analisis Realiasi Penerimaan Program Bantuan Pemerintah terhadap Kemiskinan di Desa Lumban Tobing, Kecamatan Doloksanggul

Lumban Tobing Village, Doloksanggul District is located in North Sumatra Province which is the capital of Humbang Hasundutan Regency in Indonesia. The variations quality of life conditions in Lumbang Tobing Village causes variations in poverty conditions in this area. This research aims to determine the condition of poverty in Lumban Tobing Village and formulate a comprehensive poverty program hatching program in Lumban Tobing Village. The method used in this research is descriptive research using a qualitative approach. By using as many as 19 family cards, subjects or as many as 254 families receiving aid were recorded. Research conditions show that poverty conditions in Lumban Tobing Village vary due to different livelihoods, age levels of household heads and limited human resources. The method of poverty in question is the provision of subsidy program assistance in the form of BLT, BST, BPNT, PHK and basic food supplies.

The hidden costs of austerity for social programmes in the Global South: Qualitative insights from two complementary services in Ghana's Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme

AbstractPromoted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in particular, fiscal austerity measures have been extensively implemented across the world in the last decade as a policy prescription to address the impacts of economic shocks. Consequently, the implementation of austerity has engendered a vast body of austerity impact assessment literature in the Global North, in particular. Although austerity measures have been equally implemented (and longer) in Global South contexts, the same level of intellectual curiosity has not been dedicated to understanding the human and social costs of austerity in the Global South. To help fill this gap, this paper examines the implications of fiscal austerity for the delivery of two complementary programmes linked to Ghana's conditional cash transfer (CCT) — the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. The paper adopts a qualitative design where semi‐structured interviews are conducted with (a) two LEAP officers, (b) two headteachers and (c) 35 LEAP beneficiaries in northern Ghana. The findings show that within the current context of fiscal austerity, mainly mediated through the government's commitment to “cut expenditures to the bone”, the two complementary services have been unfunded and thus do not exist in practice. The non‐existence of complementary services has dire consequences for children's education as well as undermines Ghana's poverty reduction attempts through the implementation of the LEAP programme.

Effectiveness of the main national pro-poor targeted program in Armenia: evidence from the period 2004–2018

ABSTRACT Using the Armenian Household Survey data for 2004–2018 this study explores the causal effect of family benefits, the country’s main poverty targeted program, on multidimensional and monetary poverty. We find that only 40% of the total fund of this targeted program reaches the severe multidimensional poor households. Our regression estimation based on bias-corrected dynamic panel data models reveals that an increase in the proportion of households receiving family benefits mostly results in a decrease in the incidence of severe multidimensional poverty. However, it has no significant effect on moderately poor households and those who are vulnerable to poverty. This program significantly benefits only those households who are poor in terms of their health expenditure. We further observe that the impact of these benefits is significant on extreme monetary poor but the effect is inconclusive on those who live below the national upper poverty line. Our findings suggest that in the current development stage of the country the targeted poverty programs should focus on enhancing capabilities and human capital development. Also, to address the social assistance coverage gap, the government needs to enhance incentive mechanisms for the main actors in the social protection system.

Implementation and Evaluation of the Livelihoods Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Program of Ghana: A Critique on Public Policy Models with Relevance to Social Protection Programs

Implementation and Evaluation of the Livelihoods Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Program of Ghana: A Critique on Public Policy Models with Relevance to Social Protection Programs

Cross-Sector Collaboration North Kalimantan's Poverty Alleviation Program

Poverty is a complex problem that has always been a concern for governments. This study analyzes poverty alleviation programs in North Kalimantan Province through a cross-sector collaboration approach using a qualitative approach. This approach is used to explain the phenomenon studied according to the context in which it occured. Research informants include stakeholders who are members of the Poverty Reduction Coordination Team (TKPK) for North Kalimantan province. The data sources consisted of primary and secondary sources, collecting data through observation, in-depth interviews, and tracing poverty program documents and regulations. Data analysis was conducted through interactive analysis. The results showed that the implementation of the poverty alleviation program in North Kalimantan province was ineffective, so better management is needed. The facts obtained in the collaboration process found that stakeholders from the private sector and community were not fully involved in the poverty alleviation program. In addition, there are differences in opinions or conflicts of interest among stakeholders in the implementation of the poverty alleviation program in North Kalimantan Province. Another problem encountered was that the budget allocation for the poverty alleviation program was not in accordance with what was planned by the TKPK.
 Keywords: collaboration process, cross sector, program implementation, poverty alleviation

Poverty Policy: Between Hope and Reality

This study examines the inherent duality in poverty policy, analyzing the discrepancy between the goals established by policies and the actual outcomes of their execution. The study employs an analytical methodology to examine diverse poverty programs implemented in various countries, emphasizing their accomplishments and shortcomings. The paper begins by providing an overview of the historical development of poverty policy and elucidating how economic and social perspectives have influenced strategies for poverty management. The study subsequently explores the implementation of these rules, encompassing the frequently encountered issues and obstacles. Emphasis is placed on examining case studies that demonstrate effective poverty reduction measures and cases when expectations were not fulfilled. Using data and case studies, the paper examines the crucial aspects that impact the efficacy of poverty initiatives, including the political framework, economic resources, and community participation. In addition, the topic encompasses the influence of technology and innovation on developing more flexible and receptive poverty policies. Ultimately, the study thoroughly examines the interplay between theory and practice in poverty policy. This indicates that a more all-encompassing and inclusive strategy may be required to tackle poverty concerns effectively. Hence, the article's objective is to offer valuable perspectives for policymakers, practitioners, and academics concerned with addressing poverty in a constantly evolving global environment.

Unravelling Poverty Indicators in the Tomini Bay Region of Indonesia: A Comprehensive Analysis of SDG 10

The Tomini Bay Region, with its abundant natural resources, can be leveraged to promote inclusive and sustainable community welfare in line with SDG 10's global target to reduce inequality. However, despite the region's natural wealth, much of the area is plagued by high poverty. In response, local governments have launched several programs to stimulate economic growth while addressing these issues. To assess the effectiveness of these poverty programs, this study evaluated the economic development of the Tomini Bay area using the SDGs framework. The objectives of this study are twofold: 1) to map the progress of SDG 10 poverty indicators in the region, and 2) to project the achievement of SDG 10 poverty indicator targets in the region by 2030. This study employs quantitative descriptive data analysis. The mapping results are expected to aid local governments in formulating more targeted and inclusive development plans.

Poverty in India, Rural and Urban Poverty, An Over View

Poverty remains a challenge for India; poverty eradication is an important goal of economic policy. Therefore, the measurement of poverty must be acceptable because it has important political implications. This article presents the methodology followed by the expert group (Rangarajan) and explains some of the issues that have been raised since the publication of the report. In addition to methodology, some of the topics covered in the article are: calorie consumption, multidimensional poverty, urban poverty, NAS (National Accounts Statistics)-NSS (National Sample Survey) public spending and poverty, NSS and SECC (Socio-Economic Caste Census and Poverty the method approved by the new poor group is based on sound principles. As the group explained, this measure is not considered an appropriate basis for determining eligibility for various programs. But a proper anti-poverty measure is useful to get an overall picture of a country's progress. This represents the absolute minimum. It is clear that the goal of policy must be not only to reduce the number of people below this threshold, but also to ensure that people in general have a much higher standard of living. Policymakers must pursue a two-pronged strategy: allowing the economy to grow rapidly and attacking poverty directly with poverty programs.

Ghana's Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (1000) Program Seasonally Impacts Birthweight: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis.

Objectives: Low birthweight (LBW) prevalence remains high in African countries and evidence of cash transfer impacts on birthweight, particularly by season of infant birth, is limited. This study examines overall and seasonal cash transfer impacts on LBW in rural Ghana. Methods: Data come from a longitudinal, quasi-experimental impact evaluation of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) 1,000 unconditional cash transfer program for impoverished pregnant or lactating women in rural districts of Northern Ghana. LEAP1000 program impacts on average birthweight and LBW were estimated for a multiply imputed sample of 3,258 and a panel sample of 1,567 infants using differences-in-differences models and triple difference models to assess impacts by season. Results: LEAP1000 decreased LBW prevalence by 3.5 and 4.1 percentage points overall and in the dry season, respectively. LEAP1000 increased average birthweight by 94, 109, and 79g overall, in the dry season, and in the rainy season, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings of positive LEAP1000 impacts on birthweight across seasons and on LBW in the dry season demonstrate the need to take seasonal vulnerabilities into account when designing and implementing programs for rural populations in Africa.

Barriers to health care access and utilization among aged indigents under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme (LEAP): the perspective of users and service providers in north-western Ghana.

This article draws on the poverty and access to health care framework to explore the barriers to access and utilization of primary health care among aged indigents under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme (LEAP) in Ghana. Although many developing countries have made progress in extending primary health care to their populations following the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978, the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), barriers remain pervasive, particularly among vulnerable population groups. Previous studies have hardly paid in-depth attention to this important indicator for measuring progress toward achieving SDG 3. To this end, we conducted a case study of access to health care services and utilization among aged indigents enrolled on the LEAP programme in the Daffiama Bussie Issa District of the Upper West. We collected and analyzed qualitative data from indigents aged 65 years and above, health care providers, and staff of the LEAP and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Our analysis found geographic inaccessibility of health care, high costs of drugs and related services, exclusion of essential services from NHIS benefits package, and irregular transfer of cash to negatively influence access and utilization of health care among aged LEAP beneficiaries in the district. In addition to the need to strengthen the economy, provide health infrastructure and human resources for health in rural areas, the government needs to review the beneficiaries' bimonthly stipends to reflect the daily minimum wage, eliminate the delay in payments, and review the benefits package of the NHIS to include essential services and medical devices commonly used by aged people. Yet implementing these recommendations has affordability implications that require innovation to mobilize additional resources and create the desired fiscal space and institutions that can sustainably implement universal coverage programmes such as the LEAP.

Effect of social protection programmes on household food security: a case of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme in the Tolon District of Ghana

Effect of social protection programmes on household food security: a case of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme in the Tolon District of Ghana

Do Labor Market Interventions Incentivize Technology Adoption? Unexpected Impacts of the World’s Largest Rural Poverty Program

Do Labor Market Interventions Incentivize Technology Adoption? Unexpected Impacts of the World’s Largest Rural Poverty Program

Eradicating extreme poverty in Africa through productive inclusion: A comparative assessment of two social protection programmes in Ghana

Ghana has experimented with two social protection programmes: the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, and the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) pilot project aimed at reducing extreme poverty and enhancing the standard of living of beneficiaries. This study comparatively assessed how the LEAP programme and the JSDF-LEAP project have contributed to improving the standard of living of beneficiaries. A sample of 167 respondents, comprising 81 LEAP households, 82 JSDF-LEAP beneficiaries and four District Social Welfare Officers took part in the study. The study findings suggest that cash transfers alone such as the LEAP programme may not yield significant improvement in the standard of living of the extremely poor without complementary programmes such as the JSDF-LEAP project to address the livelihood and other socio-economic challenges that they encounter. The study recommends a holistic approach to tackling extreme poverty through ‘cash plus’ programmes. Points for practitioners The findings of this study highlight the need for public administration practitioners involved in poverty eradication programmes to pursue a simultaneous design involving the implementation of both cash transfers and productive inclusion programmes as the preferred strategy for improving the standard of living of the extremely poor. Moreover, this research has also revealed that for social protection programmes to be successfully implemented, carefully designed systems and structures must be put in place at the national level, through the regional, district and community levels at the design and implementation phases of such interventions.