In international development, research is never purely an academic exercise. Its purpose, ultimately, is to provide knowledge that can be used to improve the lives of poor and vulnerable populations. Yet, despite increased focus on understanding the influence that research … Read more

Leah Prencipe, UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti – I have just returned from rural Tanzania, where I got to see one of the largest social protection programmes in Africa in action. The Productive Social Safety Net provides three types of support … Read more

During a recent trip to Ghana, we presented the baseline findings from an impact evaluation of the LEAP 1000 cash transfer programme to UNICEF colleagues, government and development partners. LEAP 1000, an extension of Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty programme, … Read more

In discussions with stakeholders, there are two gender assumptions we hear repeatedly: 1. giving benefits to women (rather than men) will result in better outcomes – particularly for children 2. transfers will increase women’s empowerment. In other words, paying attention … Read more

Social cash transfers are an increasingly popular tool in African national governments’ social protection strategies, but a question that often comes up about their use is will such programmes encourage parents to have larger families in a region with stubbornly … Read more