Social protection, food security and rural development
As part of a larger research agenda on food security, this research project studies the role of social protection for food security and rural development. It investigates and compares the effects of different kinds of social protection programmes such as social cash transfers, insurance, public works and school meal programmes on nutrition/food security. Furthermore, the project examines impacts of the interaction between social protection programmes and interventions that focus on agricultural productivity or nutritional education (multi-sectoral approaches). The project team employs randomized controlled trials and other quantitative methods that are combined with qualitative research.
Project Lead:
Francesco Burchi
Christoph Strupat
Financing:
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Time frame:
2015 - 2018
/
completed
Project description
This research project focuses on the role of social protection schemes to enhance food security and promote rural development in sub-Saharan Africa. It will investigate and compare the effects of different programmes on food security as well as the technical and political challenges in designing and implementing diverse social policies, such as cash-transfers, (micro) insurance schemes, public works and school meal programmes in rural areas. Furthermore, the project examines impacts of the interaction between social protection programmes and interventions that focus on agricultural productivity or nutritional education (multi-sectoral approaches).
The project team evaluates an economic empowerment project of the GIZ in Malawi. This pilot project will be implemented in one district within the national social cash transfer programme. It will extend the monthly small cash transfer with a larger lump-sum transfer as well as business training. We intend to cooperate in the evaluation of this pilot project, which will end in 2016. The objective is to verify whether the lump sum transfer, the business training or the combination of the two have a substantial impact on household income, savings, assets, consumption and food security. Moreover, we will study the results disaggregated by gender. To reach this objective, we conduct a baseline survey between, and plan to do an endline survey in the second half of 2016.
In Ethiopia the project team empirically examines the well-know Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), which started in 2005 and aims at improving food security and agricultural productivity of rural households. The focus of the study will not solely be on the impacts of the PSNP, but mainly will explore the possible linkages with other programmes that have improved the nutritional status of individuals during the last years (e.g. the community-based nutrition program (CBN) and the school-meal program). Information on these programmes will be gathered during extensive field research in Ethiopia. The aim is to investigate whether the interaction between PSNP and the CBN or the school-meal programme is effective in reducing food security and improving the diet quality of individuals. In collaboration with the University of Passau, DIE conducts an impact evaluation of a micro health insurance programme in Burkina Faso. The aim of the study is to investigate whether the health insurance affects the productivity of farmers.
Publications
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Linking social protection schemes: the joint effects of a public works and a health insurance programme in Ethiopia
Shigute, Zemzem / Christoph Strupat / Francesco Burchi / Getnet Alemu / Arjun S. Bedi (2019)
in: The Journal of Development Studies (Online first) -
Unbundling the impacts of economic empowerment programmes: evidence from Malawi
Burchi, Francesco / Christoph Strupat (2018)
Discussion Paper 32/2018 -
Cash transfers and food security in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Burchi, Francesco / Giorgio D'Agostino / Luca Pieroni / Margherita Scarlato (2018)
in: South African Journal of Economics Volume 86 (4), 383-400 -
Crowding out of solidarity? Public health insurance versus informal transfer networks in Ghana
Strupat, Christoph / Florian Klohn (2018)
in: World Development 104 (4), 212-221 -
The joint effects of a health insurance and a public works scheme in rural Ethiopia
Shigute, Zemzem / Christoph Strupat / Francesco Burchi / Getnet Alemu / Arjun S. Bedi (2017)
Bonn: IZA - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA Discussion Paper Series 10939) -
No stability without social protection
Loewe, Markus / Strupat, Christoph (2017)
Bonn: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), The Current Column of 23 October 2017 -
Economic empowerment pilot project in Malawi: qualitative survey report
Beierl, Stefan / Francesco Burchi / Christoph Strupat (2017)
Discussion Paper 15/2017 -
Die Wirkung von cash transfers auf die Ernährungssicherung in Subsahara-Afrika: Fakten, Gestaltung und Umsetzung
Burchi, Francesco / Christoph Strupat (2017)
Analysen und Stellungnahmen 6/2017 -
The impact of cash transfers on food security in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence, design and implementation
Burchi, Francesco / Christoph Strupat (2016)
Briefing Paper 15/2016 -
From protection to reduction? The impact of the public health insurance scheme on child labour in Ghana
Strupat, Christoph (2016)
Discussion Paper 16/2016 -
From food availability to nutritional capabilities: advancing food security analysis
Burchi, Francesco / Pasquale De Muro (2016)
in: Food Policy 60/2016, 10-19 -
Addressing food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa: the role of cash transfers
Burchi, Francesco / Margherita Scarlato / Giorgio d’Agostino (2016)
Discussion Paper 17/2016 -
Come on, donors, be courageous!
Kreibaum, Merle (2016)
Bonn: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) (The Current Column of 23 May 2016) -
Crowding out of solidarity? Public health insurance versus informal transfer networks in Ghana
Klohn, Florian / Christoph Strupat (2013)
Bochum: Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), Department of Economics (Ruhr Economic Papers 432)