Pathways out of Extreme Poverty: Tackling Psychosocial and Capital Constraints with a Multi-Faceted Social Protection Program in Niger

Abstract

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

Agricultural Technology in Africa

“…Also in Kenya, the One Acre Fund's program of group lending, crop insurance, regular training, input supply, and market facilitation support generated adoption of improved practices, increased use of fertilizer, and increased yield and farm profits (Deutschmann et al 2019). A multi-faceted "economic inclusion" program in Niger with training, large cash grants, and a set of psycho-social interventions generated substantial increases in improved livestock and use of fertilizer and phytosanitary inputs (Bossuroy et al 2021).…”

With or without him? Experimental Evidence on Gender-Sensitive Cash Grants and Trainings in Tunisia

“…and Shapiro 2016, Crépon et al 2020, Kondylis et al 2021. Our study also directly contributes to the nascent literature on multi-faceted programs that tackle multiple constraints at the same time (Banerjee et al 2015;Bedoya et al 2019;Sedlmayr et al 2020;Banerjee et al 2021;Bossuroy et al 2021;Balboni et al 2021). Second, our analysis sheds new light on the gender-specific constraints that women face in the labor market (see Duflo 2012 and Jayachandran 2021 for reviews).…”

Why should we integrate income and employment support?

“…Positive effects continued to be observed three years after the programme had started; however, the same was not observed when only cash transfers were involved. Likewise, Bossuroy et al (2021) explore the effect of a multifaceted economic inclusion intervention -including training and lump-sum capital grants -implemented in Niger for female beneficiaries of a national cash transfer programme. Findings revealed significant positive impacts on consumption and food security among beneficiaries of income and active support six and 18 months post-intervention, relative to those in receipt of cash transfers only.…”