scholarly journals Use of conditional cash transfers for addressing gender-based inequalities in health and education among children: studying the impact of the Shubh Laxmi scheme in Rajasthan, India

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
RAJNISH RANJAN PRASAD ◽  
DIVYA SANTHANAM

Abstract In the last few decades, conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes have become very popular for addressing different development challenges. The use of CCT programmes to promote enrolment in schools, improve preventive health care and increase household consumption in Latin America has been well documented. However, the potential of CCT programmes to change more deep-rooted norms is not very clear. The Shubh Laxmi scheme, a CCT programme, was started by the Government of Rajasthan, India, to improve the status of health and education among girls. A study was undertaken to understand the changes in beneficiaries’ perspectives due to scheme. A total of 95 beneficiaries were randomly selected and in-depth interviews were conducted in order to understand the impact of the scheme. In addition, two focus group discussions were conducted with 30 non-beneficiaries in order to understand their awareness about the scheme and their perceptions of girls. The findings show that the CCT programme has helped in generating a positive attitude among beneficiaries towards the survival, education and well-being of girls. The key challenge was low awareness of the scheme and of the procedures for claiming its benefits. This study highlights that CCT programmes are useful for nudging people to address gender-based inequalities in health and education among children; however, effective implementation remains key.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huma Haider

This review examines evidence on the key design features and impact of programmes that use Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) or baby bonds to reduce female infanticide, child marriage and promote girl’s education. Conditional cash transfer (CCT) schemes have been adopted to promote the survival and well-being of girls. They provide parents with financial incentives to raise daughters; to delay marrying them until age 18, and to reduce the gender imbalance in school. Given that many CCT programmes aimed at addressing girl children are relatively new, it has in many cases been too early to evaluate their effectiveness. There is thus limited evidence of the impact of their implementation and outcomes. This helpdesk report focuses on recent studies, published in the past five years, on select programmes implemented in South Asia, particularly in India, for which there is the most available information. Evidence suggests that CCT programmes aimed at supporting the girl child have succeeded in promoting school enrolment and delaying marriage in South Asia. It is less clear, however, the extent to which these transfers have affected gender-biased sex selection.


Author(s):  
Daskyes Y. Gulleng ◽  
Plangshak M. Suchi

Poverty and unemployment are on the increase in Nigeria. In recognition of this situation, the Federal Government in 2016 introduced four key social investment programmes which include the Conditional Cash Transfer, N-Power, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, and the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme to reduce the poverty level and promote inclusiveness. However, there are questions about the adequacy and transformative capacity of the programmes because they are alleged to be shrouded in controversies of politics, corruption, and defective implementation strategies. Against this backdrop, the essay examined the impact of these programmes on poverty and youth employment in Plateau State. Secondary and primary data were obtained from the State office of the social investment programme and two major markets in the Jos North and South Local Government areas respectively. Findings revealed inconsistencies in the implementation as it was characterised by fraudulent and sharp practices on the part of officers in charge of disbursement of funds; cumbersome bank process in accessing the Marketmoni component of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and non-involvement of market officials for adequate flow of information. The study recommends less cumbersome and more transparent processes to check corrupt practices and other excesses of officials.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tafadzwa Rugoho ◽  
France Maphosa

This article is based on a study of gender-based violence against women with disabilities. The study sought to examine the factors that make such women vulnerable, to investigate the community’s responses to gender-based violence against women with disabilities, and to determine the impact of gender-based violence on the wellbeing and health of women with disabilities. The study adopted a qualitative research design so as to arrive at an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under study. The study sample consisted of 48 disabled women living in marital or common law unions, selected using purposive sampling. Of the 48 women in the sample, 16 were visually impaired while the remaining 32 had other physical disabilities. Focus group discussions were used for data collection. The data were analysed using the thematic approach. The finding was that women with disabilities also experience gender-based violence. The study makes recommendations whose thrust is to change community perceptions on disability as the only guarantee towards eradicating gender-based violence against women with disabilities.


Author(s):  
Shalakha Rao ◽  
Shivani Kushwaha

The connection between poverty and women's lack of power over resources and decision-making has now caught the attention of policymakers in government and mainstream development all over the world. Women empowerment issues perceived nationally or locally are being addressed by both state and non-state agencies. Beside the government intervention, NGOs are implementing various types of Women Empowerment Programmes including IG Programmes. Women Empowerment Programmes in India include livelihood support Programme, rehabilitation and job placement for rescued women, safe motherhood Programme and so forth. In spite of involvement of various NGOs in women empowerment through Income Generation and Skill Development Programmes, the status of women is still not satisfactory in India as various official as well as unofficial reports claim and the outcomes against the stated objectives of the NGOs' Women Empowerment Programmes are often questioned. Therefore, the present study is focused in assessing the impact of IG Programmes run by non-government organizations in empowering women. The researcher hypothesizes that IG Programme with its components viz., skill training, resource inputs of loan and equipment help to increase income to the women through independent business or work in the related field; the increased income lessens their dependence on family heads and enables to spend for personal expenses; gives them certain freedoms as individuals; enables them to contribute to family affairs financially, which creates an environment in the family in favor or the women to accept her views and participation in family matters like education, marriage, purchase etc.


Author(s):  
Xueli Wei ◽  
Lijing Li ◽  
Fan Zhang

Pumping elephantThe COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the lives of people around the world in millions of ways . Due to this severe epidemic, all countries in the world have been affected by all aspects, mainly economic. It is widely discussed that the COVID-19 outbreak has affected the world economy. When considering this dimension, this study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy, socio-economics, and sustainability. In addition, the research focuses on multiple aspects of social well-being during the pandemic, such as employment, poverty, the status of women, food security, and global trade. To this end, the study used time series and cross-sectional analysis of the data. The second-hand data used in this study comes from the websites of major international organizations. From the analysis of secondary data, the conclusion of this article is that the impact of the pandemic is huge. The main finding of the thesis is that the social economy is affected by the pandemic, causing huge losses in terms of economic well-being and social capital.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine V Talbot ◽  
Pam Briggs

Abstract People with dementia can experience shrinkage of their social worlds, leading to a loss of independence, control and reduced well-being. We used ‘the shrinking world’ theory to examine how the COVID 19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people with early to middle stage dementia and what longer-term impacts may result. Interviews were conducted with 19 people with dementia and a thematic analysis generated five themes: the forgotten person with dementia, confusion over government guidance, deterioration of cognitive function, loss of meaning and social isolation, safety of the lockdown bubble. The findings suggest that the pandemic has accelerated the ‘shrinking world’ effect and created tension in how people with dementia perceive the outside world. Participants felt safe and secure in lockdown but also missed the social interaction, cognitive stimulation and meaningful activities that took place outdoors. As time in lockdown continued, these individuals experienced a loss of confidence and were anxious about their ability to re-engage in the everyday practises that allow them to participate in society. We recommend ways in which the government, communities and organisations might counteract some of the harms posed by this shrinking world.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Layana Costa Alves ◽  
Mauro Niskier Sanchez ◽  
Thomas Hone ◽  
Luiz Felipe Pinto ◽  
Joilda Silva Nery ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Malaria causes 400 thousand deaths worldwide annually. In 2018, 25% (187,693) of the total malaria cases in the Americas were in Brazil, with nearly all (99%) Brazilian cases in the Amazon region. The Bolsa Família Programme (BFP) is a conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme launched in 2003 to reduce poverty and has led to improvements in health outcomes. CCT programmes may reduce the burden of malaria by alleviating poverty and by promoting access to healthcare, however this relationship is underexplored. This study investigated the association between BFP coverage and malaria incidence in Brazil. Methods A longitudinal panel study was conducted of 807 municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2015. Negative binomial regression models adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic covariates and time trends were employed with fixed effects specifications. Results A one percentage point increase in municipal BFP coverage was associated with a 0.3% decrease in the incidence of malaria (RR = 0.997; 95% CI = 0.994–0.998). The average municipal BFP coverage increased 24 percentage points over the period 2004–2015 corresponding to be a reduction of 7.2% in the malaria incidence. Conclusions Higher coverage of the BFP was associated with a reduction in the incidence of malaria. CCT programmes should be encouraged in endemic regions for malaria in order to mitigate the impact of disease and poverty itself in these settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Alexander Baranovsky ◽  
Nataliia Tkachenko ◽  
Vladimer Glonti ◽  
Valentyna Levchenko ◽  
Kateryna Bogatyrova ◽  
...  

Traditionally, public procurement has been associated with the measurement of achieving savings. However, recent research shows that the economic impact of public procurement is not limited only to savings, but by measuring the impact of four capitals—natural, human, social, and economic—on sustainable well-being over time. Ukraine is a country with a very low gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, which exacerbates the problem of the impact of public procurement results on the population’s welfare. Ukrainian public procurement legislation allows customers to apply non-price criteria (the share of non-price criteria cannot be more than 70%), which, together, are taken into account in the formula of the quoted price. The studies show that the effect of the use of non-price criteria depends on the relevance of the method of the evaluation of non-price criteria. The most important non-price criteria for Ukrainian customers by product categories and the methods of their evaluation are analyzed according to the Bi.prozorro.org analytics module. Therefore, it is concluded that the quoted price method, which is used in Ukrainian practice, is not relevant in comparison with the method used in the EU. A survey of the government buyers on the practice of applying non-price criteria was conducted, and the areas of their use were identified.


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