Exploring the interaction between different social protection programs in Ghana: are the poor and extreme poor benefitting?

SHPIG Working Paper, Bonn: EADI

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.30251.75049
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This paper applies a Difference-inDifference with Propensity Score Matching model to explore the interaction effects between two social protection programmes in Ghana on the poor and extreme poor: the Livelihood against Poverty Programme (LEAP) and the National Health Insurance System (NHIS). Interaction effects have been understudied in research on social protection in SSA thus far. The findings indicate that only few complementarity effects can be established in the medium term, namely on child anthropometrics. Significant improvements in food consumption, access to health, and productive investments in land are also observed. However, these culminate from either the cash transfer or health insurance separately or from the two combined, but without a multiplier effect. Thus, there seems to be a dominant substitution effect going in the combination of the two programmes. The paper makes an innovative contribution to the current policy debates on social protection in relation to inclusive growth and on the upscaling and integration of different social protection programmes in SSA countries.

About the author

Böber, Christian

Economics

Further experts

Balasubramanian, Pooja

Social Economics 

Burchi, Francesco

Development Economy 

Loewe, Markus

Economy 

Strupat, Christoph

Economist