Social Assistance and Dependency in South Africa: An Analysis of Attitudes to Paid Work and Social Grants

Abstract

Despite the absence of an unemployment grant in South Africa, there is growing concern that other social assistance provision might nevertheless weaken work motivation and create a 'dependency culture'. This study explores attitudes about the relationship between grant receipt and paid employment in South Africa. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, it examines whether there is evidence of a 'dependency culture', the nature and strength of labour market attachment among grant recipients, and the opportunities and barriers to employment they face.We found that both those in and out of work placed a high value on paid employment. Joblessness had not become 'normalised', and all categories of the workless were extremely motivated to get work. Grant recipients did not subscribe to a distinctive culture but to mainstream values and aspirations. While some benefit claimants subscribed to popularly promoted prejudices about other social assistance claimants, our findings appear to counter recent concerns about potential unintended effects of the current grant system. The key factors in reducing people's chances of finding employment seem linked to the structural conditions of the labour market and the wider economy rather than the motivational characteristics of the unemployed and the arrangements of the grant system.

Cash Transfers, Labor Supply, and Gender Inequality: Evidence from South Africa

“…First, most beneficiaries live in rural areas and face significant barriers that block their access to multiple markets, such as credit and labor markets Knight, 2004, 2006). Hence, the CSG, which is provided in a regular fashion, may help households overcome these obstacles (Surender et al, 2010;Williams, 2007). On the other hand, in 2014, the CSG total amount per caregiver ranged from R320 for caregivers with one eligible child to R1,920 for caregivers with six children.…”

‘That Child Support Grant Gives Me Powers’ – Exploring Social and Relational Aspects of Cash Transfers in South Africa in Times of Livelihood Change

“…There could also be negative social implications for individuals receiving a grant. A common criticism in South Africa is the notion that grants promote dependency on the state (Devereux, 2011;Surender, Noble, Wright, & Ntshongwana, 2010). Opposition to social protection is often based on conservative claims that dependency on cash transfers leads to a range of social ills, such as erosion of a work ethic, promotion of laziness, misuse of the money on, for example, alcohol or drugs, or perverse incentives such as increased fertility rates, despite a substantial body of research in South Africa and globally refuting these claims Devereux, 2011;Fraser & Gordon, 1994).…”

The Role of Fathers Receiving Social Grants in Decision-Making Processes Within Poor Rural Households in Alice, Eastern Cape of South Africa

“…In other words, social grants have a positive impact beyond the individual recipients. However, according to Surrender, Noble, Wright and Ntshongwana, (2010), there are challenges in the usage of social grants. They postulate that there are instances where recipients of social grants waste money on alcohol or on other unproductive ways as opposed to using it constructively for meeting the basic needs of beneficiaries.…”