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Does the Conditional Cash Transfer Program Empower Women? Evidence from Ain El-Sira, Egypt

Received: 18 June 2014    Accepted: 18 August 2014    Published: 30 August 2014
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Abstract

Several developing economies have introduced conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs, which provide money to poor families contingent on certain behavior, usually investments in human capital, such as sending children to school or bringing them to health centers. The approach is both an alternative to more traditional social assistance programs and a demand-side complement to the supply of health and education services. Unlike most development initiatives, conditional cash transfer programs have been subject to rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness using experimental or quasi-experimental methods. Evaluation results for programs launched in Colombia, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Turkey reveal successes in addressing many of the failures in delivering social assistance, such as weak poverty targeting, disincentive effects, and limited welfare impacts. There is clear evidence of success from the first generation of programs in Colombia, Mexico, and Nicaragua in increasing enrollment rates, improving preventive health care, raising household consumption, and empowering women. Given the available data from Ain El-Sira in Egypt, this study contributes to the limited if not unavailable evidence on the impact of CCT on poor Egyptian families behavior with respect to various aspects such as female work, empowerment, violence, and family planning. This study will use the several data collection activities that were conducted in Ain El-Sira. There were a baseline survey before the implementation of the CCT program, mid-line survey (after 13 months of implementation) and monthly progress data collection for the 162 selected families.

DOI 10.11648/j.ss.20140304.14
Published in Social Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 4, August 2014)
Page(s) 132-136
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Female Empowerment, Egypt, Intervention Evaluation, Pre and Post Comparison

References
[1] Adato, M. 2006. Empowerment and Social Cohesion in Conditional Cash Transfer Programs, Presentation at the Third International Conference on Conditional Cash Transfers, Istanbul, June 26-30
[2] Baez, Javier E. and Camacho, A. 2011. Assessing the Long-term Effects of Conditional Cash Transfers on Human Capital: Evidence from Colombia. Policy Research Working Paper No. 5681, Washington DC. The World Bank.
[3] Behrman, J. R., Parker S. W., and Todd, P. E. 2011. Do Conditional Cash Transfers for Schooling Generate Lasting Benefits? A Five-Year Follow-up of Progresa/Oportunidades. Journal of Human Resources, 46(1). Pp 93–122.
[4] Bradshaw, S. and Viquez, A. 2008. Women Beneficiaries or Women Bearing the Cost: A Gendered Analysis of the Red de Proteccion Social in Nicaragua. Development and Change. 39:5. Pp 23-44.
[5] Fiszbein, A., Schady, N., Ferreira, F., Grosh, M., Keleher, N., Olinto, P., and Skoufias, E. 2009. Conditional Cash Transfers: Reducing Present and Future Poverty. Washington, DC. The World Bank.
[6] Latapí, E. and and de la Rocha, G. 2009. ‘Girls, Mothers and Poverty Reduction in Mexico: Evaluating Progresa-Oportunidades’ in Shahra Razavi The Gendered Impacts of Liberalisation, New York and Abingdon: Routledge/UNRISD
[7] Molyneux, M. 2006. Mothers at the Service of the New Poverty Agenda: Progresa/Oportunidades, Mexico’s Conditional Transfer Program. Social Policy and Administration. 40:4. Pp 425-449.
[8] Camacho, A. & Rodriguez, C. 2012. “Who’s the Boss at Home after Receiving Conditional Cash Transfers?” Paper presented at the 2012 American Economic Association Annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Accessed on February 5, 2013 at https://www.aeaweb.org/aea/2012conference/program/retrieve.php?pdfid=32
[9] Razavi, S. 1999. Gendered Poverty and Well-being: Introduction, Development and Change, 30: Pp 409-433.
[10] Shah, S. 2012. Cash or food aid? Assessing the role of resource based transfers in achieving female empowerment and gender equity in social protection programmes. Assessed on March 15, 2013 at http://www.hiidunia.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2011/12/Cash-or-Food-Aid_-Assessing-the-role-of-resource-based-transfers-in-achieving-female-empowerment-and-gender-equity-in-social-protection-programmes.pdf
[11] Sharma, A. 2008. Logics of Empowerment Development, Gender and Governance in Neoliberal India. University of Minnesota Press. Pp 1-62.
[12] Sholkamy, H. 2011. How can social justice provide social protection for women? Pathways Policy Paper Brighton: Pathways of Women’s Empowerment RPC.
Author Information
  • The American University in Cairo (AUC), School of Humanities and Social Sciences, S.A.P.E. department, Psychology unit and the Social Research Center, and Cairo University, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Department of Statistics, Egypt

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    Hassan H. M. Zaky. (2014). Does the Conditional Cash Transfer Program Empower Women? Evidence from Ain El-Sira, Egypt. Social Sciences, 3(4), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140304.14

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    Hassan H. M. Zaky. Does the Conditional Cash Transfer Program Empower Women? Evidence from Ain El-Sira, Egypt. Soc. Sci. 2014, 3(4), 132-136. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20140304.14

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    AMA Style

    Hassan H. M. Zaky. Does the Conditional Cash Transfer Program Empower Women? Evidence from Ain El-Sira, Egypt. Soc Sci. 2014;3(4):132-136. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20140304.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ss.20140304.14,
      author = {Hassan H. M. Zaky},
      title = {Does the Conditional Cash Transfer Program Empower Women? Evidence from Ain El-Sira, Egypt},
      journal = {Social Sciences},
      volume = {3},
      number = {4},
      pages = {132-136},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ss.20140304.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20140304.14},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ss.20140304.14},
      abstract = {Several developing economies have introduced conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs, which provide money to poor families contingent on certain behavior, usually investments in human capital, such as sending children to school or bringing them to health centers. The approach is both an alternative to more traditional social assistance programs and a demand-side complement to the supply of health and education services. Unlike most development initiatives, conditional cash transfer programs have been subject to rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness using experimental or quasi-experimental methods. Evaluation results for programs launched in Colombia, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Turkey reveal successes in addressing many of the failures in delivering social assistance, such as weak poverty targeting, disincentive effects, and limited welfare impacts. There is clear evidence of success from the first generation of programs in Colombia, Mexico, and Nicaragua in increasing enrollment rates, improving preventive health care, raising household consumption, and empowering women. Given the available data from Ain El-Sira in Egypt, this study contributes to the limited if not unavailable evidence on the impact of CCT on poor Egyptian families behavior with respect to various aspects such as female work, empowerment, violence, and family planning. This study will use the several data collection activities that were conducted in Ain El-Sira. There were a baseline survey before the implementation of the CCT program, mid-line survey (after 13 months of implementation) and monthly progress data collection for the 162 selected families.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

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    AB  - Several developing economies have introduced conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs, which provide money to poor families contingent on certain behavior, usually investments in human capital, such as sending children to school or bringing them to health centers. The approach is both an alternative to more traditional social assistance programs and a demand-side complement to the supply of health and education services. Unlike most development initiatives, conditional cash transfer programs have been subject to rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness using experimental or quasi-experimental methods. Evaluation results for programs launched in Colombia, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Turkey reveal successes in addressing many of the failures in delivering social assistance, such as weak poverty targeting, disincentive effects, and limited welfare impacts. There is clear evidence of success from the first generation of programs in Colombia, Mexico, and Nicaragua in increasing enrollment rates, improving preventive health care, raising household consumption, and empowering women. Given the available data from Ain El-Sira in Egypt, this study contributes to the limited if not unavailable evidence on the impact of CCT on poor Egyptian families behavior with respect to various aspects such as female work, empowerment, violence, and family planning. This study will use the several data collection activities that were conducted in Ain El-Sira. There were a baseline survey before the implementation of the CCT program, mid-line survey (after 13 months of implementation) and monthly progress data collection for the 162 selected families.
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