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Do Cash Transfers Promote Food Security? The Case of the South African Child Support Grant

Author

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  • Giorgio d’Agostino
  • Margherita Scarlato
  • Silvia Napolitano

Abstract

This paper evaluates the causal effect of the Child Support Grant (CSG) implemented in South Africa on household food consumption and dietary diversity. The analysis uses the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) covering 2008, 2010–2011, and 2012, and carries out a regression-discontinuity design exploiting the increase in the age limit requirement for eligibility for the programme. Our results show that the CSG has proved to be effective in increasing total food expenditure per adult equivalent but has not significantly changed the dietary habits of the beneficiary households, nor has the programme resulted in any stronger effect for the most vulnerable subgroups of the beneficiary population. To analyse the external and internal validities of the results, a comparison between non-parametric, semi-parametric and parametric estimates is presented.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgio d’Agostino & Margherita Scarlato & Silvia Napolitano, 2018. "Do Cash Transfers Promote Food Security? The Case of the South African Child Support Grant," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 27(4), pages 430-456.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jafrec:v:27:y:2018:i:4:p:430-456.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jae/ejx041
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    Cited by:

    1. Garman, E.c. & Eyal, K. & Avendano, M. & Evans-lacko, S. & Lund, C., 2022. "Cash transfers and the mental health of young people: evidence from South Africa's child support grant," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112922, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Leight, Jessica & Hirvonen, Kalle & Zafar, Sarim, 2024. "The effectiveness of cash and cash plus interventions on livelihoods outcomes: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis," OSF Preprints dnc2r, Center for Open Science.
    3. Fofana, Ismael & Mabugu, Ramos E. & Camara, Alhassane & Abidoye, Babatunde, 2024. "Ending poverty and accelerating growth in South Africa, through the expansion of its social grant system," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 46(6), pages 1090-1102.
    4. Kabeya Clement Mulamba, 2022. "Relationship between households’ share of food expenditure and income across South African districts: a multilevel regression analysis," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. von Fintel, Dieter & Pienaar, Louw, 2016. "Small-Scale Farming and Food Security: The Enabling Role of Cash Transfers in South Africa's Former Homelands," IZA Discussion Papers 10377, IZA Network @ LISER.
    6. Bhorat, Haroon & Köhler, Timothy, 2025. "The labour market effects of cash transfers to the unemployed: Evidence from South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    7. Garman, E.C. & Eyal, K. & Avendano, M. & Evans-Lacko, S. & Lund, C., 2022. "Cash transfers and the mental health of young people: Evidence from South Africa's child support grant," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    8. Timothy Köhler & Jabulile Monnakgotla & Haroon Bhorat, 2024. "Social Security Coverage among the Working-Age Population in South Africa," Working Papers 202404, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    9. repec:osf:osfxxx:dnc2r_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Muhammad Tariq & Aneesa & Farah Khan, 2019. "The Effects of Social Protection Program on Food Consumption and Poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan," Business & Economic Review, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan, vol. 11(1), pages 55-82, March.
    11. Samuel Kobina Annim & Raymond Boadi Frempong, 2018. "Effects of access to credit and income on dietary diversity in Ghana," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(6), pages 1649-1663, December.
    12. Margherita Scarlato & Giorgio d'Agostino, 2019. "Cash Transfers, Labor Supply, and Gender Inequality: Evidence from South Africa," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 159-184, October.
    13. Adofo, Josephine Ofori & Koomson, Isaac, 2025. "Unconditional cash transfers and energy poverty in South Africa," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    14. d'Agostino, Giorgio & Scarlato, Margherita, 2016. "Gender Inequality in the South African Labour Market: the Impact of the Child Support Grant," MPRA Paper 72523, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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