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Social Transfers and Growth: What Do We Know? What Do We Need to Find Out?

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  • Barrientos, Armando
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    Abstract

    The paper examines the extent to which emerging social transfer programs in developing countries can improve the productive capacity of households in poverty and contribute to micro-level growth. It introduces a basic framework linking transfers to growth mediating processes and productive capacity outcomes. This is then used to organize and assess relevant findings from program evaluation studies. The paper concludes that social transfer programs can have positive effects on the productive capacity of poor and poorest groups; but further research is needed to identify and measure the size and significance of these effects.

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    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X11001422
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    Article provided by Elsevier in its journal World Development.

    Volume (Year): 40 (2012)
    Issue (Month): 1 ()
    Pages: 11-20

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    Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:40:y:2012:i:1:p:11-20
    Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/worlddev

    Keywords: social transfers; social assistance; pro-poor growth; poverty; poverty reduction;

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    Cited by:

    1. Paola Peña & Juan Miguel Villa & Jasmina Byrne & Armando Barrientos, 2013. "Social Transfers and Child Protection," Papers inwopa691, Innocenti Working Papers.
    2. Harold Alderman & Ruslan Yemtsov, 2014. "How Can Safety Nets Contribute to Economic Growth?," World Bank Economic Review, World Bank Group, vol. 28(1), pages 1-20.
    3. Robinson, Sherman & Levy, Stephanie, 2014. "Can cash transfers promote the local economy? A case study for Cambodia:," IFPRI discussion papers 1334, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Solomon Asfaw & Silvio Daidone & Benjamin Davis & Josh Dewbre & Alessandro Romeo & Paul Winters & Katia Covarrubias & Habiba Djebbari, 2012. "Analytical Framework for Evaluating the Productive Impact of Cash Transfer Programmes on Household Behaviour ? Methodological Guidelines for the From Protection to Production Project," Working Papers 101, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
    5. Cousins, Mel, 2014. "Social Protection in the Mekong: policy trends and future directions," MPRA Paper 60026, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Franziska Gassmann & Andrés Mideros Mora & Pierre Mohnen & Cecile Cherrier, 2013. "Making the Investment Case for Social Protection: Methodological challenges with lessons learnt from a recent study in Cambodia," Papers inwopa694, Innocenti Working Papers.
    7. Villa, Juan M., 2014. "Social transfers and growth: The missing evidence from luminosity data," Working Paper Series UNU-WIDER Research Paper , World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. World Bank, . "Africa's Pulse, October 2013 : An Analysis of Issues Shaping Africa's Economic Future," World Bank Other Operational Studies 20237, The World Bank.
    9. Barrientos, Armando & Byrne, Jasmina & Peña, Paola & Villa, Juan Miguel, 2014. "Social transfers and child protection in the South," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(P2), pages 105-112.
    10. DiCaprio, Alisa, 2013. "The Demand Side of Social Protection: Lessons from Cambodia’s Labor Rights Experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 108-119.
    11. Javier Olivera & Jhonatan Clausen, 2013. "Las características del adulto mayor peruano y las políticas de protección social," Documentos de Trabajo / Working Papers 2013-360, Departamento de Economía - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.
    12. Armando Barrientos & Juan Miguel Villa, 2013. "Antipoverty transfers and labour force participation effects," Brooks World Poverty Institute Working Paper Series 18513, BWPI, The University of Manchester.
    13. Stoeffler, Quentin & Mills, Bradford, 2014. "Households’ investments in durable and productive assets in Niger: quasi-experimental evidences from a cash transfer project," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170212, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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