Peer-reviewed article
Cash Transfer Programmes in Pakistan through a Child Well-Being Lens
Altaf Hussain, Susanne Schech ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This paper draws on a qualitative study with children and families in two cash transfer programmes in Pakistan. It uses a model of child well-being with material, relational and subjective dimensions. It finds that the programmes helped extremely poor families meet basic food needs and slightly increase health spending. Extra conditional payments were linked to more children enrolling in primary school. The programmes did not address children's specific vulnerabilities, and the authors call for a more child-sensitive approach to social protection.
Key points
- Cash transfers helped extremely poor families sustain their basic dietary needs.
- Health spending increased only marginally.
- Additional conditional payments led to increased primary school enrolments.
- The programmes failed to address children's distinctive vulnerabilities, including nutritional needs, relational well-being and social status.
- The authors recommend a more holistic, child-sensitive approach to social protection in line with the UNCRC.
Limitations
Only the abstract is available, so sample size, programme names, methods and any figures are not reported. The qualitative design cannot show how large the effects were or prove they were caused by the programmes.
Abstract
This paper analyses data from a qualitative study undertaken with children and their families in two cash transfer programmes (CTPs) in Pakistan. Using a three-dimensional child well-being model that distinguishes material, relational and subjective dimensions, it argues that CTPs have helped extremely poor families sustain their basic dietary needs and marginally increase their health spending. Additional conditional payments have led to increased primary school enrolments, but CTPs have failed to address the distinctive vulnerabilities of children, including their nutritional needs, relational well-being and social status. A more holistic and child-sensitive approach to social protection would be the way forward to improve child well-being in line with the United Nations Charter on Rights of Children (UNCRC) to which Pakistan is a signatory.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
Problem
Extreme household poverty affecting children's material, relational and subjective well-being
- Intervention
- Two cash transfer programmes, including additional conditional payments linked to schooling
- Population
- Children and their families in two cash transfer programmes in Pakistan, among them extremely poor families
Key finding
Helped extremely poor families sustain basic dietary needs
Hussain et al. · OpenAlex · 4 Sept 2021