IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eco/journ1/2024-01-17.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Design and Implementation of Social Safety Nets in Tanzania: A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Basil Msuha

    (Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Head Office (Makutupora), Dodoma, Tanzania)

  • Luitfred D. Kissoly

    (Ardhi University, Department of Economics and Social Studies, School of Spatial Planning and Social Sciences, Tanzania)

  • Arnold Kihaule

    (Ardhi University, Department of Economics and Social Studies, School of Spatial Planning and Social Sciences, Tanzania)

Abstract

Social safety nets (SSNs) in Africa have become a key strategy for addressing poverty and vulnerability. However, the effectiveness of this policy instrument is dependent on design and implementation features. Much of the evidence on the design and implementation of SSNs from systematic literature reviews is skewed toward Latin America, Asia, and to a limited extent, Africa. Using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology we aim to address this gap. Based on evidence extracted from 17 studies, we found more than 12 SSNs types in Tanzania, grouped into cash-based transfers, in-kind-based transfers, and public works which is consistent with the view that every country in Sub-Saharan Africa is implementing at least one type of SSNs. Subsequently, we found that the SSNs do not have a recertification program because most them were designed as time-bound, for which recertification was not necessary; and they were initially conceived to alleviate chronic poverty; thus, a maximum duration was not needed. Yet, existing design and implementation features generate inefficiency through duplications and overlaps, and limit potential coverage and performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Basil Msuha & Luitfred D. Kissoly & Arnold Kihaule, 2024. "Design and Implementation of Social Safety Nets in Tanzania: A Systematic Review," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 14(1), pages 180-203, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eco:journ1:2024-01-17
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econjournals.com/index.php/ijefi/article/download/15523/7732
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.econjournals.com/index.php/ijefi/article/view/15523
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Barrientos, Armando, 2012. "Social Transfers and Growth: What Do We Know? What Do We Need to Find Out?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 11-20.
    2. Orazio P. Attanasio & Veruska Oppedisano & Marcos Vera-Hernández, 2015. "Should Cash Transfers Be Conditional? Conditionality, Preventive Care, and Health Outcomes," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(2), pages 35-52, April.
    3. Handa, Sudhanshu & Davis, Benjamin, 2006. "The experience of conditional cash transfers in Latin America and the Caribbean," ESA Working Papers 289060, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA).
    4. Benjamin Kwakye & Chan Tze Haw, 2020. "Interplay of the Macroeconomy and Real Estate: Systematic Review of Literature," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 10(5), pages 262-271.
    5. Marie Gaarder, 2012. "Conditional versus unconditional cash: a commentary," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 130-133, March.
    6. Benjamin Davis & Marie Gaarder & Sudhanshu Handa & Jenn Yablonski, 2012. "Evaluating the Impact of Cash Transfer Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa," One Pager 146, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
    7. World Bank, 2015. "The State of Social Safety Nets 2015," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 22101.
    8. Benjamin Davis & Marie Gaarder & Sudhanshu Handa & Jenn Yablonski, 2012. "Evaluating the impact of cash transfer programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: an introduction to the special issue," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1-8, March.
    9. Maxine Molyneux & With Nicola Jones & Fiona Samuels, 2016. "Can Cash Transfer Programmes Have ‘Transformative’ Effects?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(8), pages 1087-1098, August.
    10. Norbert Schady & Ariel Fiszbein & Francisco H.G. Ferreira & Niall Keleher & Margaret Grosh & Pedro Olinto & Emmanuel Skoufias, 2009. "Conditional Cash Transfers : Reducing Present and Future Poverty," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2597.
    11. Janet Currie & Firouz Gahvari, 2008. "Transfers in Cash and In-Kind: Theory Meets the Data," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 46(2), pages 333-383, June.
    12. Pieter Rutsaert & Jordan Chamberlin & Kevin Ong’are Oluoch & Victor Ochieng Kitoto & Jason Donovan, 2021. "The geography of agricultural input markets in rural Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(6), pages 1379-1391, December.
    13. Evans, David K. & Holtemeyer, Brian & Kosec, Katrina, 2019. "Cash transfers increase trust in local government," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 138-155.
    14. Sarah Baird & Francisco H.G. Ferreira & Berk Özler & Michael Woolcock, 2014. "Conditional, unconditional and everything in between: a systematic review of the effects of cash transfer programmes on schooling outcomes," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 1-43, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Scarlato, Margherita & D'Agostino, Giorgio, 2016. "The political economy of cash transfers: a comparative analysis of Latin American and sub-Saharan African experiences," IDOS Discussion Papers 6/2016, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    2. 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.
    3. Mumbunan, Sonny & Maitri, Ni Made Rahayu, 2022. "A Review of Basic Income for Nature and Climate," OSF Preprints bre43, Center for Open Science.
    4. Noemi Pace & Silvio Daidone & Benjamin Davis & Luca Pellerano, 2016. "Does "soft conditionality" increase the impact of cash transfers on desired outcomes? Evidence from a randomized control trial in Lesotho," Working Papers 2016:33, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    5. Owusu-Addo, Ebenezer & Renzaho, Andre M.N. & Smith, Ben J., 2018. "Evaluation of cash transfer programs in sub-Saharan Africa: A methodological review," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 47-56.
    6. Benjamin Schwab, 2020. "In the Form of Bread? A Randomized Comparison of Cash and Food Transfers in Yemen," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 102(1), pages 91-113, January.
    7. Gentilini,Ugo, 2016. "The revival of the"cash versus food"debate : new evidence for an old quandary ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7584, The World Bank.
    8. Owusu-Addo, Ebenezer & Renzaho, Andre M.N. & Smith, Ben J., 2020. "Developing a middle-range theory to explain how cash transfers work to tackle the social determinants of health: A realist case study," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    9. Gentilini, Ugo, 2014. "Our daily bread : what is the evidence on comparing cash versus food transfers?," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 89502, The World Bank.
    10. 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.
    11. Mumbunan, Sonny & Maitri, Ni Made Rahayu, 2022. "A Review of Basic Income for Nature and Climate," OSF Preprints bre43_v1, Center for Open Science.
    12. Daniela Del Boca & Chiara Pronzato & Giuseppe Sorrenti, 2020. "Cash Transfer Programs and Household Labor Supply," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 605, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    13. Zhou, Lei & Jiang, Bo & Wang, Jingxi, 2020. "Do cash transfers have impacts on student Academic, cognitive, and enrollment outcomes? Evidence from rural China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    14. Bauchet, Jonathan & Undurraga, Eduardo A. & Reyes-García, Victoria & Behrman, Jere R. & Godoy, Ricardo A., 2018. "Conditional cash transfers for primary education: Which children are left out?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 1-12.
    15. Andrés Mideros & Franziska Gassmann, 2021. "Fostering social mobility. The case of the Bono de Desarrollo Humano in Ecuador," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 385-404, October.
    16. Saeed, Muhammad Kashif & Hayat, Muhammad Azmat, 2020. "The Impact of Social Cash Transfers on Poverty in Pakistan-A Case Study of Benazir Income Support Programme," MPRA Paper 99805, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Baird, Sarah & McIntosh, Craig & Özler, Berk, 2019. "When the money runs out: Do cash transfers have sustained effects on human capital accumulation?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 169-185.
    18. Li, Bo & Lu, Shilin, 2023. "Labor education, cash transfers and student development: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    19. Bhanot, Syon P. & Han, Jiyoung & Jang, Chaning, 2018. "Workfare, wellbeing and consumption: Evidence from a field experiment with Kenya’s urban poor," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 372-388.
    20. Gilliland, Ted E. & Sanchirico, James N. & Taylor, J. Edward, 2018. "Environmental Impacts of Cash Transfer Programs: Implications for the Welfare of Poor Communities in Developing Countries," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274244, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social Safety Nets; Cash Transfers; Public Works; Systematic Review; Design Features; Implementation Features;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eco:journ1:2024-01-17. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ilhan Ozturk (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.econjournals.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.