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The Impact of Cash Transfers on Women's Empowerment: The Case of the Tanzania Social Action Fund

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  • Abel Alfred Kinyondo
  • Joseph Magashi

Abstract

Social cash transfer (CT) programs are widely promoted around the world as effective instruments for poverty reduction. Unfortunately, they are rarely examined in a rigorous fashion to determine their purported impact. It is in this context that a mixed method was employed in the present study on a panel data set collected between 2015 and 2017 to examine the impact of the Tanzania Social Action Fund’s (TASAF) CT program on women’s empowerment. Results from a quasi‐experimental design show that TASAF targets poor households and does have an impact within its own sphere. However, the said impact does not spill over outside TASAF domain. These results are corroborated by qualitative data findings used in the study. We thus recommend that TASAF be accompanied by similar programs for a bigger and sustainable impact on women’s empowerment to be realized. Moreover, the study recommends that initiatives such as that of TASAF should go hand‐in‐hand with religious, legal, and cultural reforms. 社会现金转移支付计划（CTs）作为有效减贫工具在全球广泛实行。不幸的是，该计划很少经过严谨的检验，以决定其宣称的影响。以此为背景，现有研究将一种混合方法应用于2015年至2017年收集的一组面板数据，以期检验“坦桑尼亚社会行动基金”（TASAF）的现金转移支付计划对妇女赋权产生的影响。一项准实验设计得出的结果显示，TASAF以贫困家庭为目标，并且的确发挥了作用。然而，这种作用不会出现在TASAF范围之外。这些结果通过本研究中使用的定性数据发现得以证实。因此我们建议，TASAF应与相似的计划一同为妇女赋权发挥更大的、可持续的影响。此外，本研究建议，与TASAF类似的倡议计划应同宗教改革、立法改革和文化改革一并进行。 Los programas sociales de transferencia de dinero (CTs) se promueven ampliamente en todo el mundo como instrumentos efectivos para la reducción de la pobreza. Desafortunadamente, rara vez se examinan de manera rigurosa para determinar su supuesto impacto. Es en este contexto que se empleó un método mixto en el presente estudio sobre un panel de datos recopilados entre 2015 y 2017 para examinar el impacto del programa de transferencia de efectivo del Fondo de Acción Social de Tanzania (TASAF) en el empoderamiento de las mujeres. Los resultados de un diseño de cuasi‐experimento muestran que TASAF se dirige a hogares pobres y tiene impacto dentro de su propia esfera. Sin embargo, dicho impacto no se extiende fuera del dominio TASAF. Estos resultados son corroborados por los hallazgos de datos cualitativos utilizados en el estudio. Por lo tanto, recomendamos que TASAF se acompañe con programas similares para lograr un mayor impacto sostenible en el empoderamiento de las mujeres. Además, el estudio recomienda que iniciativas como la de TASAF deben ir de la mano con reformas religiosas, legales y culturales.

Suggested Citation

  • Abel Alfred Kinyondo & Joseph Magashi, 2019. "The Impact of Cash Transfers on Women's Empowerment: The Case of the Tanzania Social Action Fund," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(3), pages 178-204, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:povpop:v:11:y:2019:i:3:p:178-204
    DOI: 10.1002/pop4.256
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    References listed on IDEAS

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