Do Social Cash Transfers Trap Beneficiaries into Poverty? A Remedial Recommendation for Malawi

Abstract

This article is a desk research that seeks to analyze empirical literature on the impact of social protection programmes (SPP) and attest if there is need for an alternative programme or a change in the structure. SPP dates back from A.D 98 when the Roman Emperor gave free grain to the poorer in his empire (Hammond Mason 2020). Later in 1952 the ILO provided the first instrument for SPP before the UN 1995 World Summit for Social Development where governments agreed to anchor SP systems by the law (United Nations, 1995). SPP were established on motives concerned with preventing, managing and overcoming situations that adversely affect people’s well-being. Social Cash transfers in Malawi for example have led to increase in aggregate demand and the potential to increase GDP, improved labor opportunities, strengthened social networks, improved health and education of Children. However, this research has found that the structure of Social Protection programmes in Malawi needs to be reviewed because of its propensity to trapping people especially women into poverty. The paper proposes the need to extend focus from those unfit-for-work to the vulnerable non-poor. Inclusion of the vulnerable non-poor will prevent them from falling into poverty and also stimulate beneficiaries to graduate from poverty. This will lead to a substantive decrease in the pool of SPP beneficiaries in the long-run.