Targeting of social transfers: A review for DFID

This report focuses on the targeting of social transfer programmes in low-income countries with low implementation capacity. It examines the costs, effectiveness and efficiency of social transfers as a tool for alleviating material poverty.

The document highlights the difference between the population for whom the project is designed ("who" and "why" questions) and the population that the project actually reaches in its implementation ("how" question). The political context of programme design is also of primary importance and implies different perceptions of how to implement social transfers. Similarly, there are necessary trade-offs to be made in the design and implementation, which generate varying results, particularly in terms of inclusion and exclusion of individuals. However, decision-makers often use incomplete and unreliable data. Therefore, the information base needs to be strengthened and tools for estimating the cost and benefits of various measures in different contexts should be developed.

R. Slater and J. Farrington, ODI September 2009