This paper examines the Tingathe Economic Empowerment Programme (TEEP) in Malawi, focusing on its impact on social cohesion through trust, cooperation, and inclusive identity. While lump-sum transfers showed no significant effect, financial training combined with VSL groups enhanced social cohesion. However, external shocks and jealousy towards SCT recipients hindered trust among villagers. The study highlights the need for well-designed cash programs and long-term support for VSL groups to foster social cohesion.
This paper examines the relationship between inequality and social cohesion, utilizing a recent definition that includes trust, inclusive identity, and cooperation. It finds that higher inequality generally correlates with lower social cohesion, particularly in Africa, where unique patterns emerge, especially regarding vertical trust. Further research is needed to explore these findings.
The 2030 Agenda has revitalized the fight against poverty, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the importance of addressing the needs of diverse social groups rather than solely focusing on national averages. This paper aims to: (1) analyze trends in multidimensional poverty in low- and middle-income countries, (2) explore rural-urban poverty differences over time, and (3) evaluate the claim of poverty feminization. Utilizing the Global Correlation Sensitive Poverty Index (G-CSPI), which incorporates education, employment, and health, the analysis reveals key methodological advantages, particularly its individual-level focus crucial for gender-disaggregated insights. Findings indicate that from 2000 to 2012, both income and multidimensional poverty decreased, with the reduction in extreme income poverty being double that of multidimensional poverty. Regional disparities are significant, with Asia experiencing the most decline in multidimensional poverty, while sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind. The rural G-CSPI was over four times greater than the urban G-CSPI, highlighting poverty's rural prevalence. Contrary to the 1995 Beijing claim that 70% of the poor were women, no global gender bias was found in 2000. However, the decline in multidimensional poverty was more pronounced among men than women, suggesting a new trend of feminization of poverty linked to slower employment recovery for women.
We conducted a randomized control trial in order to assess the impacts of the Tingathe Economic Empowerment Project in Malawi. We find in particular that poor and labour-constrained households benefited from the project and that the provided training increased the productive use of the lump-sum.
The paper offers a systematic review of the evidence of cash transfers’ effects on food security in Africa. It shows that, when properly designed, these schemes increase calorie intake, while they need to be integrated by other programmes to sustainably graduate beneficiaries out of food insecurity
The paper shows that a 10% increase in women’s political agency in Indian districts causes a 5.9% increase in primary school completion rates. Moreover, the effect is significantly higher for girls than boys. This should be considered in the current discussion about the Women’s Reservation Bill.
