Direct transfer policies for the poor

Ghatak, Maitreesh ORCID: 0000-0002-0126-0897 (2023) Direct transfer policies for the poor. Journal of Social and Economic Development. ISSN 0972-5792

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Abstract

We discuss various anti-poverty policies which involve direct transfer policies for the poor, focusing on their different dimensions—namely the size and time sequence of the transfers, whether it is cash or in kind, any conditionality involved, whether they are means-tested. We argue that their pros and cons depend on what is the underlying aspect of poverty that the policy is aiming to address, namely what is the cause of it, what is the time horizon, what is the social objective, and what, if any, limitations on state capacity might be present. We illustrate the issues involved by discussing two transfer policies in detail, a rural asset transfer programme in Bangladesh and a hypothetical universal income support programme in India—and highlight the dual nature of such policies as both redistributive and potentially productive investments. We conclude by discussing the potential complementarities between different types of anti-poverty policies.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://link.springer.com/journal/40847
Additional Information:	© 2023 The Author
Divisions:	Economics
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory H Social Sciences
JEL classification:	I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I38 - Government Policy; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
Date Deposited:	15 Dec 2023 00:16
Last Modified:	01 Apr 2024 08:40
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/121061

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