Social Protection Programs Research Articles

The Family Hope Program For Conditional Cash Transfer Programmed: Case Depok City

As an effort to accelerate poverty alleviation, since 2007 the Government of Indonesia has implemented PKH. The Social Protection Program, which is also known internationally as Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT), has proven to be quite successful in overcoming the poverty faced in these countries, especially the problem of chronic poverty. However, as a conditional social assistance program, PKH has not made it easy for poor families, especially pregnant women and children, to take advantage of the various health service facilities and educational service facilities, available around them. The benefits of PKH have also begun to be encouraged to cover persons with disabilities and the elderly by maintaining their level of social welfare in accordance with the mandate of the constitution and the Nawacita of the President of the Republic of Indonesia. This method uses a qualitative approach using relevant informants. The results of the study showed that there were still findings of PKH maladministration by public service supervisory agencies because socialization was not optimal. Second, there is still inaccurate recipient data so there are still families who are eligible to receive PKH assistance but do not receive it. On the other hand, families who are not eligible receive assistance. Apart from the social development strategy by the individual, there are other strategies such as the social development strategy by the community. In addition, this PKH strategy focuses on community development and social development, then there is also community action, participation, and social development. Furthermore, there is a social development strategy by the government that focuses on promoting social development through integrated planning.

A neo-institutional analysis of social protection: Insights from Indonesia

Inaccurate distribution is one of the major problems of social protection programs in developing countries. Program implementation experiences difficulties at the local level, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to explain the institution of social protection programs in Indonesia and identify the deficiencies and ways to improve it in other developing countries. It analogically describes the institution as a phenomenon of ‘square peg for round hole’ to represent the mismatch between the state program design with local social constraints and the cultural-cognitive of the implementers. The result showed that complementing decentralization to the existing institution can overcome the problems. This study helped fill the void in understanding the crisis, which led to changing the implementation, thereby paving a way to revise the macro policy and improve the institution.

Risk factors of adolescent exposure to violence in Burkina Faso

BackgroundGlobally violence against children and adolescents is a significant public health problem. Since children rely on family for early learning and socialization, evidence of the factors associated with exposure to violence within households may inform the development of policies and measures to prevent violence and aid the victims of violence. This study examines the risk and protective factors associated with adolescents’ exposure to violence at home and how these differ by gender and age in four regions of Burkina Faso.Materials and methodsWe used data from the baseline survey of the Child-Sensitive Social Protection Programme (CSSPP) conducted in four regions of Burkina Faso. The CSSPP is a cash transfer programme accompanied by complimentary nutrition, and water and sanitation interventions to address multidimensional child poverty. We employed bivariate and multivariable regression analysis on a sample of 2222 adolescents aged 10–19 to explore the risk and protective factors associated with exposure to violence.ResultsResults show that exposure to psychological violence (22.7%) was more common within the households when compared to physical violence (9.1%). Adolescent girls reported more exposure to physical violence while boys reported more exposure to psychological violence. Significant risk factors associated with the likelihood of exposure to violence among girls are orphanhood, living in a household receiving safety nets and living in a Muslim-majority community. Among boys, age, school attendance, disability, a household receiving safety nets, sharing a household with a depressed individual, and living in a Muslim-majority community, were associated with exposure to violence.ConclusionsThese gender-specific findings highlight the importance of family background characteristics and can be used to inform and strengthen the targeting of vulnerable children and adolescents in interventions aimed at reducing exposure to violence against children.

Income inequality: a recipe for youth unemployment in Africa.

Youth unemployment is a problem in Africa such that young people face almost double the unemployment rate as adults. With the booming population on the rise, youth unemployment can turn into a major catastrophe in the continent if not addressed. This study presents empirical evidence on how income inequality accelerates the problem. The study uses panel data from 42 African countries spanning 29years from 1991 to 2020. The dependent variable is youth unemployment, and the independent variable is income inequality. The control variables are gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, population growth, political stability, foreign direct investment, gross capital formation, and political stability. The study employs the Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) model for estimations. The results imply that income inequality positively impacts African youth unemployment, which varies across different income levels. Therefore, measures must be formulated to combat income inequality, such as increasing productivity among small-scale farmers, robust social protection programs, minimum wages, and better access to financial services for young people on the continent.

The Key Role of Psychosocial Competencies in Evidence-Based Youth Mental Health Promotion: Academic Support in Consolidating a National Strategy in France.

Psychosocial competencies, also known as psychosocial skills or life skills, are essential for the prevention and promotion of mental health. Since the beginning of this century, psychosocial competencies have been defined as the ability to develop positive mental health. Most individual or social mental health protection programs are related to psychosocial competencies. A majority of evidence-based programs that develop mental health explicitly aim at developing psychosocial competencies, either exclusively or with complementary approaches. Many of these programs have demonstrated their effectiveness, with lasting effects on reduced anxiety and depression symptoms, violent and risky behaviors, and improved well-being and academic success. Based on international meta-analyses and on 20 years of French national and local experiences, a national strategy to develop psychosocial competencies was launched in France in 2021 for all children from 3 to 25 years old. Two reports on evidence-based psychosocial competence development were published in 2022 by the national agency for public health-Santé publique France (Public Health France)-to support this deployment strategy and develop a common evidence-based culture in health and education. This article presents the French national strategy as an example of a means of increasing evidence-based mental health promotion while discussing the importance of cultural adaptation of such programs.

The Effectiveness of Social Protection Programs in Alleviating Poverty in Bangladesh: A Systematic Review

To what extent have social protection initiatives in Bangladesh been successful in reducing poverty? Our search of academic databases yielded a total of 10 studies that fulfilled our requirements for inclusion. Our research shows that social security programs like government-funded cash handouts, medical coverage, and food stamps have helped reduce poverty in rural Bangladesh. The results of this analysis will shed light on the efficacy of Bangladesh's social protection programs and guide future policy decisions for strengthening their implementation and influence. However, problems with program execution and maintenance continue to be an issue. Our analysis emphasizes the significance of improving program design and execution to reach the most vulnerable populations in Bangladesh, as well as the need for additional research on the long-term effect and sustainability of social security programs in that country.

COVID-19 and Food Security in Ethiopia: Do Social Protection Programs Protect?

We assess the ability of Ethiopia’s flagship social protection program, the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), to mitigate the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food and nutrition security of households, mothers, and children. We use both prepandemic in-person household survey data and a postpandemic phone survey. Employing a household fixed effects difference-in-differences approach, we find that household food insecurity increased by 11.7 percentage points and the size of the food gap increased by 0.47 months in the aftermath of the onset of the pandemic. Participation in the PSNP offsets virtually almost all of this adverse change; the likelihood of becoming food insecure increased by only 2.4 percentage points for PSNP households, and the food gap increased by only 0.13 months. The protective role of the PSNP was greater for poorer households and those living in remote areas. Results are robust to definitions of PSNP participation, different estimators, and how we account for the nonrandomness of mobile phone ownership. Furthermore, PSNP households were less likely to reduce expenditures on health and education by 7.7 percentage points and were less likely to reduce expenditures on agricultural inputs by 13 percentage points.

Knowledge of and access to frontline workers among poor, rural households in Amhara region, Ethiopia: a mixed-methods study

BackgroundSocial protection programmes have effectively reduced poverty and improved food security. However, the effects of poverty require an intersectoral approach to adequately address poor nutrition and health. Identifying gaps in knowledge and access to frontline workers who oversee these integrations is critical for understanding the potential for integrated social protection programming to improve these outcomes. We measured levels of social protection programme participants’ knowledge of and interaction with social workers (SWs) and health extension workers (HEWs) in rural Ethiopia.MethodsThis mixed-methods study uses cross-sectional data from the baseline survey of a quasi-experimental impact evaluation among a sample of 5,036 households participating in Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme. Qualitative interviews include key informant interviews, in depth interviews and focus group discussions with caregivers, community members, frontline agents, and stakeholders. Using data from household questionnaires administered to household heads, quantitative analyses include univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics as well as mutually-adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for household sociodemographic characteristics associated with 1) knowledge of SWs and HEWs and 2) interaction with SWs and HEWs in their communities. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis combining both a fluid and more structured coding processes to unpack the important topics within the data supported by illustrative quotes.ResultsOur results show that knowledge of and interaction with SWs is limited while many knew of and interacted with HEWs quite regularly. Interactions with SWs were negatively associated with increased household size and living in Dewa Chefa. Factors associated with increased knowledge of and interaction with HEWs include having children under the age of 5 years in the household, having health insurance, and having a formal education. Qualitative analyses suggest that SWs are limited by overwhelming caseloads, limited resources to carry out their work, and high staff turnover. However, SWs are considered highly valuable in the communities where they work.ConclusionsWhile most of the participants reported knowing their HEW, there is room for improvement, especially around household engagement with HEWs. Although SWs support the ISNP in the treatment districts only and not formally incorporated into the structure in the region, our findings highlight a need to provide greater support to SWs to effectively facilitate improvements in health and nutritional outcomes among vulnerable households.Trial registrationPan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR201902876946874) and the Registry for International Development Impact Evaluations (RIDIE-STUDY-ID-5bf27eb0404a0).

Optimalisasi Verifikasi dan Validasi DTKS Desa Kepanjen Kecamatan Gumukmas Kabupaten Jember

The social welfare of the community, especially in Kepanjen Village, was still very low. This is indicated by the low income of the community. In addition, many people in Kepanjen Village do not have permanent jobs, which results in uncertain income and uncertain economic conditions for the community. It is hoped that the social assistance program that is currently being promoted by the government can be right on target to people who really need it. Problems that are still often faced by rural communities today are related to social welfare. The condition of underprivileged people is still commonly found in Kepanjen Village. So far, the government has used the Social Welfare Integrated Data (DTKS) published by the Ministry of Social Affairs as a reference in determining who is entitled to the various social assistance protection programs. But often the assistance provided by the government is not on target. Therefore, to support whether the assistance is on target, the local government is assisted by several related parties to verify and validate DTKS. With this enumerator it is hoped that it can help optimize the DTKS verification and validation process in order to achieve the 4 stages of data use.

A Study on Financial Inclusion and its Effectiveness on Direct Benefit Transfer Schemes

India's progress toward financial inclusion has been amazing during the past ten years, and the Indian government has actively supported it through initiatives like the Digital India Movement and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. To build an inclusive society, reducing poverty and solving the difficulties of securing sustained income may become crucial. Information and communication technologies are gradually opening up access to the unbanked people and assisting in attracting them to the banking industry. Digital technologies are promoting usage and improving residents' quality of life. In this essay, we'll talk about the progress made in financial inclusion so far, what comes next, and how we may use digital technology to create a more inclusive society. In August 2014, the government launched a new program called the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana to hasten and digitalize financial inclusion in the nation. As a result, a total of 320215027 beneficiaries received contributions totaling Rs. 793711.06 Lakhs. Additionally, as of April 2018, 240921418 recipients had received Rupay cards. The current study examines the financial inclusion through Direct Benefit Transfer in India with regard to the major social security programs, including Pratyaksha Hastaantarit Laabh (PAHAL), Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the National Social Assistant Program, the Scholarship Program, the Public Distribution System, and others. The National Social Assistance Program (NSAP), the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and Pratyaksha Hastaantarit Laabh (PAHAL), or Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG, are among the primary social protection programs that are highlighted (DBTL). The different obstacles to building an inclusive society are listed in this research paper.

Socio-economic Impact of Old Persons' Cash Transfer in Mulundi Sub-location, Kitui County-Kenya

Kenya runs several social protection programmes, among which is Older Persons Cash Transfer purposed to support the elderly population (more than 65 years old) for their upkeep and minimize their vulnerability to socio-economic challenges. Over the years since 2004, budget allocation for the programme has been increasing, but little information is available to show how effective the programme is or whether the grants are adequate for the beneficiaries to meet their financial and social needs. This study applied cross-sectional mixed methods to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of the Older Persons Cash Transfer on the recipients living in Mulundi sub-Location, Kitui County, Kenya. In this study, a household census survey was employed to gather information from all 113 registered beneficiaries in the Mulundi sub-location using a questionnaire. The local area chief, two officials from the county social development office and three village elders were involved as the key informants. A total of 12 focus group discussion participants were involved in two separate sessions, one for men and the other for women. There were more female beneficiaries (58 percent) than male beneficiaries (42 percent), the majority of whom were widowed (53 percent). Most of the beneficiaries (72 percent) were the age between 65 and 75 years old, thus suggesting there is a high number of newly enrolled beneficiaries in vulnerable conditions. Few beneficiaries (21 percent) had alternative sources of income, while a majority (79 percent) depended on cash transfer as the main source of income. Most of the beneficiaries used cash to buy food (44 percent), pay school fees for their dependents (30 percent), health care (12 percent) and buy clothes (10 percent). The majority of the programme beneficiaries (57%) were dissatisfied with it, with most of them believing that it had not improved their economic state and that the monthly stipend was insufficient to cover most of their needs. The majority of the beneficiaries were women, many of them widowed suggesting that they are more vulnerable than male beneficiaries, they lacked companionship, made individual decisions on spending the funds and faced a wide range of financial needs in their families. Most of the beneficiaries were not commonly involved in community development activities. The programme beneficiaries faced a number of challenges, including insufficient and erratic grant disbursement, management issues, a lack of a clear grievance airing procedure, a rising cost of living, and a lack of openness in the programme's management. The paper concludes that Older Persons Cash Transfer Programme has improved the socioeconomic welfare of the elderly, but the programme also faces challenges that need to be addressed in order to make it more efficient and fully achieve its intended objective of improving the lives of older persons.

Approach to social protection programs from a gender perspective: Tekoporã and Tenonderã

El trabajo pone en discusión los programas emblemáticos de combate a la pobreza, Tekoporã y Tenonderã a través de una revisión bibliográfica sobre investigaciones realizadas sobre los mismos desde el enfoque de género y datos estadísticos oficiales que dan cuenta de la brecha existente entre hombres y mujeres. Pone en evidencia la clara necesidad de incluir en los diseños y la ejecución de programas la perspectiva de género y propone ahondar sobre la estrategia de estos programas relacionados al papel de las mujeres como sostenedoras de la protección social.

Analysis of budget spending on social protection: challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction.Theinconsistencyofthepublicpolicyofsocio-economicdevelopmentof Ukraine in recent years, in combination with the latest crisis phenomena, such as thecoronavirus epidemic, Russian aggression against Ukraine, have intensified negativetrendsinvariousspheresofpubliclife.Thepreservationofthelowstandardoflivingof the population, the significant scale of hidden unemployment, the deepening of thedemographic crisis, the social insecurity of the main mass of citizens have become realthreatstothenationalsecurityofthecountryinvariousspheres:socio-economic,political,andecological.Theconnectionofthesedestructiveprocesseswiththelackofthought,inconsistency and half-heartedness of socio-political and economic reforms in Ukrainebecame an obvious phenomenon, which caused a decrease in the level of trust of thedomestic society in the authorities. This caused a significant part of the population to losefaithinthefactthatitisgenerallypossibletobuildacivilized,sociallyresponsiblestatein Ukraine, which will be able to provide a decent standard of living for its citizens. Theconsequence of this was labor migration and mass emigration of the most active part ofsociety. The outlined problems deepened even more with the beginning of the full-scalewaroftheRussianFederationagainstUkrainein2022,whichledtoacatastrophicdropinthestandardoflivingofalargepartofthepopulation,unprecedentedscaleofdisplacementof people, destruction of the housing stock, infrastructure and other phenomena that thestate did not face during the entire period independence These problems bring to the forethe need for a radical revision of the approaches and principles of regulation of the socialsphereandtheselection oftoolsfor solving socialpolicyproblems.Purpose. To reveal the theoretical foundations and carry out an analysis of budgetexpendituresfor social protection.Methods.Theconductedresearchisbasedonadialecticalandsystemicapproachtotheknowledgeofeconomicphenomenaandprocesses.Numerousscientificmethodsofresearchwereused:generalization,systematization,grouping–whenrevealingthetheoreticalfoundationsofsocialpolicy,sources,formsanddirectionsofbudgetexpendituresforitsimplementation;methodsofeconomicanalysis,comparison,inductionand deduction – when assessing the practice of budget expenditures for social policy andtheireffectiveness;analysisandsynthesis,comparison–whendevelopingdirectionsforimprovingbudgetexpendituresforsocialpolicyinthecontextofincreasingtheirefficiency.Results.OneofthecharacteristicfeaturesofsocialprotectionofthepopulationinUkraineisanexcessively“inflated”systemofsocialtransfersattheexpenseofbudgetfunds.Despitesignificantamountsoffunding,thedispersionofresourcesamongmanybudgetprogramswithlowtargetingofpaymentsleadstowaste.Therefore,animportantissueofbudgetexpendituresforsocialpolicyisthechoiceofeffectivetoolsfortheir implementationtoensuretheeffectiveuseoffunds. Thedynamicsofbudgetexpendituresofalllevelsforsocialprotectionofthepopulationin recent years is characterized by steady growth. In 2021, UAH 367.35 billion of budgetfunds were allocated for these needs, which is UAH 20.63 billion more than in 2020. Ingeneral, for 2018-2021, the amount of budget financing of social protection programsincreased 1.2 times. The assessment of the structure of budget expenditures for socialprotection of the population according to the units of functional classification shows theirsignificant change in 2020-2021, which is a consequence of the change in approaches tothe financing of a number of social programs. A significant decrease in funding took placewith regard to expenditures on social protection in case of incapacity for work (by 4.6times),socialprotectionoffamilies,childrenandyouth(by20.0times),whileexpenditureson social protection of other categories of the population increased by 7.3 times. Suchsignificant changes in the structure of expenditures on social protection of the populationwere provoked by the fact that a number of budgetary social protection programs weretransferredfromfinancingfromlocalbudgetstodirectfinancingfromthestatebudget.In Ukraine, the vast majority of social transfers are assigned according to a categoricalapproachduetothelackofeffectivemethodsofaddressingandcheckingthereallevelof need. Because of this, the contingent of recipients of social benefits is too wide, which,in the conditions of limited budgetary resources, forces the government to minimize theamountofsocialbenefits.Inourcountry,thepolicyofsocialpopulismcontinuestodominate,when the state tries to cover the largest possible contingent of the population with socialprotection measures, while limiting the size of the transfers themselves. Therefore, theeffectivenessofsuchsocial programsisdoubtful. Discussion.Aspartofmitigatingthenegativeconsequencesofthecoronacrisisattheexpenseofbudgetfunds,thefollowingsocialprotectioninnovationshavebeenintroducedinUkraine:simplificationoftheconditionsforparticipationinthehousingsubsidyprogram;liberalization of conditions for receiving unemployment benefits; strengthening of socialprotectionoffamilieswithchildren;additionalsocialprotectionofpensioners;strengtheningofsocialprotectionofpersonswhoprovidesocialservices.However,theamountoffundingof budget programs for social protection of the population, directly caused by measures tocombat the coronavirus epidemic, turned out to be insignificant and had a weak impact onthetotalamountofbudgetexpendituresforsocialprotectionofthepopulation. inconsistency and half-heartedness of socio-political and economic reforms in Ukrainebecame an obvious phenomenon, which caused a decrease in the level of trust of thedomestic society in the authorities. This caused a significant part of the population to losefaithinthefactthatitisgenerallypossibletobuildacivilized,sociallyresponsiblestatein Ukraine, which will be able to provide a decent standard of living for its citizens. Theconsequence of this was labor migration and mass emigration of the most active part ofsociety. The outlined problems deepened even more with the beginning of the full-scalewaroftheRussianFederationagainstUkrainein2022,whichledtoacatastrophicdropinthestandardoflivingofalargepartofthepopulation,unprecedentedscaleofdisplacementof people, destruction of the housing stock, infrastructure and other phenomena that thestate did not face during the entire period independence These problems bring to the forethe need for a radical revision of the approaches and principles of regulation of the socialsphereandtheselection oftoolsfor solving socialpolicyproblems.Purpose. To reveal the theoretical foundations and carry out an analysis of budgetexpendituresfor social protection.Methods.Theconductedresearchisbasedonadialecticalandsystemicapproachtotheknowledgeofeconomicphenomenaandprocesses.Numerousscientificmethodsofresearchwereused:generalization,systematization,grouping–whenrevealingthetheoreticalfoundationsofsocialpolicy,sources,formsanddirectionsofbudgetexpendituresforitsimplementation;methodsofeconomicanalysis,comparison,inductionand deduction – when assessing the practice of budget expenditures for social policy andtheireffectiveness;analysisandsynthesis,comparison–whendevelopingdirectionsforimprovingbudgetexpendituresforsocialpolicyinthecontextofincreasingtheirefficiency.Results.OneofthecharacteristicfeaturesofsocialprotectionofthepopulationinUkraineisanexcessively“inflated”systemofsocialtransfersattheexpenseofbudgetfunds.Despitesignificantamountsoffunding,thedispersionofresourcesamongmanybudgetprogramswithlowtargetingofpaymentsleadstowaste.Therefore,animportantissueofbudgetexpendituresforsocialpolicyisthechoiceofeffectivetoolsfortheir

Social Protection Policy and its Response in Nepal

Social protection aims to support the weak and underprivileged. It refers to a set of policies to help marginalized people maintain an adequate standard of living throughout their lives. There are many social protection programs in Nepal targeting vulnerable groups such as senior citizens, the disabled, women, the marginalized, and Dalits. There are numerous social protection programs in Nepal, including insurance, subsidies, and public works initiatives in addition to cash, in-kind, and food offerings. This paper reviews existing literature on such social security debates by systematically describing the key elements of coverage, benefits, and sustainability through the desk study method. It is a critical evaluation of the available research on Nepal's social protection schemes. This paper then concludes that, despite minimal governmental capacity, there are enough programs under operation. However, for optimum output, the Government of Nepal must also take into account the enhancement of its current policies, administrative capabilities, and long-term sustainability.

Patterns of Socioeconomic Inequities in SDGs Relating to Children's Well-Being in Thailand and Policy Implications.

Thailand faces many wealth inequities and child health-related problems. This study aimed to describe Thai child health and determine socioeconomic inequities following the child flourishing index, a tool used to measure children’s wellbeing based on the key relevant Sustainable Development Goals. The data from Thailand Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 were used to examine five indicators where Thailand had not yet achieved good results. The association of socioeconomic status with the five outcomes was explored using logistic regressions, comparing pseudo R-squared, and population attributable fraction analyses. Household wealth, urbanization, education, and primary language were significantly associated with Thai child health. Over 10% of children under 5 years were stunted and had a low birth weight. Fourteen percent of teenage girls had already become mothers. Living in poor households and rural areas, having a head-of-household who was non-Thai speaking, non-Buddhist, and had a low education were identified as risk factors for children with undernutrition status and low birth weight. However, having a head-of-household who spoke a non-Thai language was a protective factor against teenage mothers and having early marriages. Households with better economic status and education provided significant benefits for children and women’s health. The result of this study calls for public policies and multisectoral actions in the wider social and economic spheres that address the social determinants that span across lives and generations. Furthermore, specific social protection programs should be designed to be accessible by these most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

Gender, Social Protection, and Crises of Social Reproduction: Contextualizing NREGA

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of social protection programs such as India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). And yet, acute crises such as pandemics are layered upon existing inequalities of gender and caste in India. We show that a distinctive feature of twenty-first-century Indian capitalism is a restructuring of the caste-gender division of labor in rural India, such that women’s unpaid labor of social reproduction has increased, particularly for women from marginalized castes. Thus, patterns of participation in NREGA cannot be understood without understanding the specifics of the underlying crisis of social reproduction for labor. Social protection programs that do not consider the labor of social reproduction and are unaccompanied by broader socialization of such labor then likely fall short of mitigating deep-rooted inequalities. JEL Classification: B54, J21, J88

Poverty Implications of COVID-19 and Government Social Protection Programmes in Nigeria

The sole objective of this paper was to investigate the poverty implications of COVID-19 on Nigerians, relative to the effectiveness of the government’s social protection programs in mitigating the socioeconomic strain caused by the pandemic. The paper used documentary analysis to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Nigerians’ socioeconomic lives and the government’s policy response to the situation. The review found that COVID-19 exacerbated the existing poverty in Nigeria, and most of the government policy programs were not effective in mitigating the effects. We concluded that government policy responses to the socioeconomic strain caused by the pandemic were ineffective due to the pre-existing poor performance of social protection programs in Nigeria before the onset of COVID-19. As the world prepares for future pandemics, we recommend that the Nigerian government overhaul the existing social protection programs on poverty alleviation in Nigeria by addressing all gaps and looking for effective and strategic ways such programs can achieve desirable results.

Advancing global health and the sustainable development goals through transdisciplinary research and equitable publication practices

Advancing global health and the sustainable development goals through transdisciplinary research and equitable publication practices

Unpacking the Land and Socio-Economic Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Kenya

Following its outbreak in late 2019, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been reported to have had devastating human health, health systems, and socioeconomic impacts across the globe. Countries in the Global South are known to have been hit harder given the low level of resilience to crises amid high levels of poverty and limited social protection programmes. This includes countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Most of the existing studies on the COVID-19 pandemic in SSA, however, have focused on the puzzling nature of the considerably low rate at which the virus spread over the continent, the low level of hospitalisation, and the corresponding low morbidity rate. As such, little focus has been given to the social and economic effects of the pandemic in the local communities. Carried out in two rural communities in Kenya—Kilifi and Murang’a—the present study adopts a case study approach for an in-depth, real-life context and explores the socioeconomic (including land-related) effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the vulnerable rural population and the social group of smallholder farmers. Outcomes of the study show that the local effects of the pandemic are context specific. The findings demonstrate that the pandemic has had far-reaching impact on access to and control over land for some households in the rural communities. It was also accompanied with other negative social and economic effects, including a notable rise in teenage pregnancy, intra-household conflicts, job losses, and businesses closures. Positively, it is also claimed to have contributed to food and nutrition security in some rural regions, following increased availability of nutritious food that could have, otherwise, been sold.

Social protection and resilience: The case of the productive safety net program in Ethiopia

Improving household resilience is becoming one of the key focus and target of social protection programs in Africa. However, there is surprisingly little direct evidence of the impacts of social protection programs on household resilience measures. We use five rounds of panel data to examine rural households’ resilience outcomes associated with participation in Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Nets Program (PSNP). Following Cissé and Barrett (2018), we employ a probabilistic moment-based approach for measuring resilience and evaluate the role of PSNP transfers and duration of participation on households’ resilience. We document four important findings. First, although PSNP transfers are positively associated with resilience, PSNP transfers below the median are less likely to generate meaningful improvements in resilience. Second, continuous participation in the PSNP is associated with higher resilience. Third, combining safety nets with income generating or asset building initiatives may be particularly efficacious at building poor households’ resilience. Fourth, our evaluation of both short-term welfare (consumption) and longer-term outcomes (resilience) suggests that these outcomes are likely to be driven by different factors, suggesting that optimizing intervention designs for improving short term welfare impacts may not necessarily improve households’ resilience, and vice versa. Together, our findings imply that effectively boosting household resilience may require significant transfers over multiple years. National safety nets programs that transfer small amounts to beneficiaries over limited time horizons may not be very effective.