South Africa
South Africa’s Child Support Grant (CSG)
| Year Programme Began: | 1998 |
| Implementing Ministry: | Department of Social Development |
| Target Group: | Poor children |
| Conditions: | None |
| Approximate Reach (as of 2015): | 11 million children |
South Africa has evolved one of the most comprehensive social protection systems in the developing world. The Child Support Grant (CSG) is the largest social protection program in Africa, providing unconditional cash transfers to children living in households below a poverty threshold. Policy reforms have progressively expanded the reach and impact of the CSG, increasing the age limit for eligibility from seven to eighteen years, raising the income threshold to more effectively reach all poor children, and adjusting benefit levels for inflation and to improve both social equity and economic impacts. The CSG now reaches over 10 million children each month.
| Type | Title | Theme(s) | Year | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief | Social Protection and Childhood Violence: Expert Roundtable, Innocenti Research Briefs no. 2016-11, UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence | 2016 | Cook S, Neijhoft N, Palermo T and Peterman A. (2016). Social Protection and Childhood Violence: Expert Roundtable, Innocenti Research Briefs no. 2016-11, UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence. | |
| Brief | Social Protection Programmes Contribute to HIV Prevention | Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2015 | EPRI/ UNICEF. (2015). Social Protection Programmes Contribute to HIV Prevention. |
| Journal Article | Reducing Adolescent Risky Behaviors in a High-Risk Context: The Effects of Unconditional Cash Transfers in South Africa | Adolescents | 2017 | Heinrich C, Hoddinott J and Samson M. (2017). Reducing Adolescent Risky Behaviors in a High-Risk Context: The Effects of Unconditional Cash Transfers in South Africa.Economic Development and Cultural Change, 65(4). |
| Book Chapter | The Impact of a Promise Realized: South Africa's Child Support Grant. In From evidence to action: The story of cash transfers and impact evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press | 2016 | Samson M, Heinrich CJ, Hoddinott J, Laryea-Adjei G, Buthelezi T, Jehoma S, Mogotsi M, Stevens T, van Niekerk I and Nyokangi E. (2016). The Impact of a Promise Realized: South Africa's Child Support Grant. In From evidence to action: The story of cash transfers and impact evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. | |
| Journal Article | Understanding the linkages between social safety nets and childhood violence: a review of the evidence from low- and middle-income countries | Gender and Gender-Based Violence | 2017 | Peterman A, Neijhoft A, Cook S and Palermo T. (2017). Understanding the linkages between social safety nets and childhood violence: a review of the evidence from low- and middle-income countries. Health Policy and Planning: 1-23. |
| Brief | The broad range of cash transfer impacts in sub-Saharan Africa: Consumption, Human Capital and Productive Activity | Adolescents; Health, Nutrition, and Well-Being | 2014 | Davis B and Handa S. (2014). The broad range of cash transfer impacts in sub-Saharan Africa: Consumption, Human Capital and Productive Activity. Transfer Project Research Brief. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | The Cost of Social Cash Transfer Programs in sub-Saharan Africa | Programme Evaluation and Design | 2013 | Plavgo I, de Milliano M and Handa S. (2013).The Cost of Social Cash Transfer Programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Transfer Project Research Brief 2013-01. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | Evaluating the Impact of Cash Transfer Programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. IPC-UNDP Research Brief | Programme Evaluation and Design | 2012 | Davis B, Gaarder M, Handa S and Yablonski J. (2012). Evaluating the Impact of Cash Transfer Programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. IPC-UNDP Research Brief. |
| Brief | How much do programmes pay? Transfer size in selected national cash transfer programmes in Africa | Programme Evaluation and Design | 2015 | Davis B and Handa S. (2015). How much do programmes pay? Transfer size in selected national cash transfer programmes in Africa. The Transfer Project Research Brief 2015-09. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Brief | The Impact of Social Cash Transfers on Schooling in Africa: An Update from the Transfer Project. The Transfer Project Research Brief 2015-01 | Education and Child Labour | 2015 | Handa S and de Milliano M. (2015). The Impact of Social Cash Transfers on Schooling in Africa: An Update from the Transfer Project. The Transfer Project Research Brief 2015-01. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center, UNC-Chapel Hill. |
| Journal Article | A mixed-method review of cash transfers and intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries | Gender and Gender-Based Violence | 2018 | Buller AM, Peterman A, Ranganathan M, Bleile A, Hidrobo M and Heise L. (2018). A mixed-method review of cash transfers and intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries. The World Bank Research Observer, 33(2). |
| Working and Position Paper | A mixed-method review of cash transfers and intimate partner violence in low and middle income countries | Gender and Gender-Based Violence | 2018 | Buller AM, Peterman A, Ranganathan M, Bleile A, Hidrobo M and Heise l. (2018). A mixed-method review of cash transfers and intimate partner violence in low and middle income countries. Innocenti Working Paper 2018-02. UNICEF Office of Research Innocenti. Florence, Italy. |
Child Support Grant, Baseline 2007
Child Support Grant, Baseline 2008
South Africa Child Support Grant (CSG) Evaluation
| Data Collection | |
| Years: | 2010 (cross-section) |
| Sample Size: | 1200 children in younger sample, 1726 adolescents |
| Location: | Five provinces of Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Western Cape |
| Evaluation Design: | Propensity Score Matching |
| Key Partners/Implementers: |
EPRI – Economic Policy Research Institute, Department of Social Development |
| Funders: | |
| Reports |
The South African Child Support Grant Impact Assessment (2012) |