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Abstract:
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This report is about the political economy of cash transfers in Malawi. It, however, focuses almost exclusively on the Mchinji Cash Transfer Scheme (MCTS) because it is currently the only programme running, and is frankly speaking the subject of spirited debates and discussions among stakeholders active in the sphere of social protection. It was launched on a pilot basis in September 2006 (RHVP). This report is based on a study commissioned by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) as part of a three year research programme which examines the role of cash transfers in social protection. The research programme is motivated by the growing interest in the potential of cash transfers to promote and protect livelihoods in both international development and humanitarian environments.
The study examined the political economy of cash transfers by reviewing the three linked questions of affordability, sustainability and acceptability through an exploration of the attitudes of key stakeholders, whose actions influence policy selection and implementation. The main aim of the study was to assess how the interaction between politics and economics affect the efficacy of Cash Transfer Schemes (CTS) in reducing poverty and vulnerability among the poorest of the poor.
In order to achieve this goal, the study explored attitudes and ideological dispositions of key stakeholders in government, donor community and civil society working in the area of social protection more generally since cash transfers are considered as one of the priority social protection interventions. The main focus was on the stakeholders‟ attitudes and ideological dispositions towards adoption, design, financing and implementation of cash transfer programmes |