This document provides an overview and summary of the 10th Transfer Project Gathering. It discusses the accomplishments of the Transfer Project in generating evidence on cash transfer programs in Africa. It notes that the Transfer Project has compiled the largest evidence base on cash transfers of any world region. It also highlights some of the key findings from evaluations, including impacts on productive activities, spillover effects in local communities, and longer term impacts on youth. The document looks ahead to future research priorities, such as evaluating programs at scale, addressing targeting and graduation, crisis response, and generating evidence in fragile settings.

1. THE 10TH TRANSFER PROJECT GATHERING
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND A LOOK AHEAD
Ashu Handa on behalf of theTransfer Project

2.  A group of people/organizations interested in learning about the effects of
state-sponsoredCTs in Africa
 National governments
 Implementers, demanders of evidence
 UNICEF Country and Regional Offices
 On the ground social protection partner of government
 Coordinate activities, facilitate sharing across countries
 FAO HQ and Country Offices
 Productive impacts and links to agricultural and rural development
 UNC and other Research Partners
 Team with government to conduct research
What is theTransfer Project?

3. Unique model of conducting
evaluations
 Researchers and implementers on the
same team
 Strong involvement of all stakeholders in
research process
 From design to questions to results
dissemination and interpretation
 Accountability to government
 Impact evaluation part of a wider research
agenda
 What are the big questions? What other
research is useful?
Session 16
3

4. Country (program)
Targeting
(in addition to poverty)
Sample size
(HH)
Methodology LEWIE Youth Years of data collection
Ethiopia (SCTP) Labour-constrained 3,351 Longitudinal PSM X 2012, 2013, 2014
Ghana (LEAP) Elderly, disabled or OVC 1,614 Longitudinal PSM X 2010, 2012, 2016
Ghana (LEAP 1000) Pregnant women, child<2 2,500 RDD 2015, 2017
Kenya (CT-OVC) OVC 1,913 RCT X X 2007, 2009, 2011
Lesotho (CGP) OVC 1,486 RCT X 2011, 2013
Madagascar LUL/TMDH School-age or child <5 2799 RCT 2016, 2017
Malawi (SCTP) Labour-constrained 3,500 RCT X X 2011, 2013, 2015
South Africa (CSG) Child <18 2,964 Longitudinal PSM X 2010, 2011
Tanzania (PSSN) Food poor 801 RCT X 2015, 2017
Tanzania (PSSN Cash Plus) Food poor 2209 RCT X 2017, 2018, 2019
Zambia (CGP) Child 0-5 2,519 RCT
X
2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017
Zambia (MCTG) Female, elderly, disabled, OVC 3,078 RCT X 2011, 2013, 2014
Zimbabwe (HSCT) Food poor, labour- constrained 3,063
Longitudinal matched
case-control
X X 2013, 2014, 2017
Compiled the largest evidence base on CTs of any world region!
Stimulated a culture of evidence generation
4

5.  Changing the narrative from ‘hand-outs’ and ‘dependency’ to inclusive
and equitable growth
 Provide evidence to counter these typical criticisms, but
more importantly…
 By enlarging the scope of evaluation topics
 Productive indicators and the household economy
 Spillover effects in the local community
 Next generation impacts
 And providing timely, actionable evidence on programme design and
implementation
Innovations

6. Ultra-poor use CTs to strengthen their productive capacity
Zambia Ethiopia Malawi ZIM Lesotho Kenya Ghana
Agricultural inputs     
Agricultural tools    
Agricultural production     
Livestock ownership       
Non-farm enterprise    
No sign of dependency
Session 6

7. Ultra-poor use cash efficiently, generate multipliers for
themselves
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Ghana LEAP Malawi SCTP Zambia Zimbabwe HSCT
Household multiplier: comparing transfers received to total outlays
Multiplier
Not a ‘hand-out’
Session 5, 13

8. CTs also generate spillovers to the local economy--others
in the community also benefit
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Kenya
(Nyanza)
Ethiopia
(Abi_adi)
ZIM Zambia Kenya
(Garissa)
Lesotho Ghana Ethiopia
(Hintalo)
Multiplier: Amount generated in local economy by every $1 transferred
Contributes to economic
growth
Session 5, 6

9. Next generation impacts on youth—delay in sexual debut
[And in some countries reductions in early pregnancy]
36%
27%
17%
11%
44%
32%
28%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Kenya (N=1,443) Malawi (N=1684) Zimbabwe (N=787) South Africa, girls
(N=440)
Treat Control
-6 pp impact**
-7 pp impact**
-13 pp impact***
-11 pp impact***
 Kenya and Zimbabwe impacts driven by girls, Malawi driven by boys. Zambia no impacts!
Long-term human
capital development
Session 9

10. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Ghana
(LEAP)
ETH (PSNP) Lesotho
(CGP)
Kenya (CT-
OVC)
Malawi
(SCTP)
RSA (CGP) Zambia (CG) Zambia
(MCP)
ZIM (HSCT)
Percentage point impact
And large impacts on secondary schooling (as large as
impacts of CCTs in Latin America
Long-term human
capital development
Girls only
N.S.
Session 9

11. Timely evidence to guide programme design and
implementation – transfer value 20% threshold
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Ghana
2010
Kenya
CT-OVC
(big)
Burkina TASAF
2012
Ghana
LEAP
1000
Kenya
CT-OVC
RSA
CSG
Malawi
2014
Lesotho
CGP
(2010)
Ghana
2015
Kenya
CT-OVC
(small)
Zim
(HSCT)
Zambia
CGP
Zambia
MCP
Malawi
2007
Widespread impact
Selective impact
%
or
per
capita
consumption
Poster Session

12. Household transfer share strongly predicts food
security and productive asset ownership; investment in
productive assets very strong beyond 20% threshold
HSCT, LEAP 1000 , SCTP

13.  “I used to be a slave to ganyu (labour) but now I’m a bit free.” -elderly beneficiary,
Malawi
 “But now that we receive money, when our food gets finished and we don’t even have
money to go and buy and someone has money or if you know where to go and borrow
money you can go and borrow knowing that next month you will get money to go and
pay.” –young mother, Bongo District, Ghana
 “We have violence against children in homes we are coming from. If you have been
violated, you cannot perform better because you are under attack.You cannot make it
in class.You just think of what you are passing through.” –out-of-school youth,
Mulanje District, Malawi
Rich qualitative evidence has provided context for the
quantitative results, allowing us to tell the story of
people’s lives and understand impacts
Session 7
Session 10 and pre-
conference workshop
Session 6

14.  Many programs are at (near) scale – evidence needs are different now
 How do your ‘monitor impact’ of an ongoing programme?
 How do we handle re-targeting and the ‘graduation’ debate?
 Poly-crisis—are the current programmes ready for crisis response?
 Natalia will tell us more
 Identifying, implementing and evaluating Cash+
 Generating evidence in fragile and humanitarian settings
 What, how and for whom?
Looking ahead….
Session 9
Session 13
Session 12
Session 6
Session 14

15.  Day 1 (today)
 Group selfie at end of this session!
 Session 7 on Dignity—what is it and why does it matter?
 Session 8 spotlight on Kenya and the NICHE programme
 Evening poster session with food and drinks
 Day 2
 Packed day: gender, cash+, long-term impacts and graduation
 Work hard then play! Social activity hosted by Ashu at 18:30 on Sky Deck with food and
beverage (naturally)
 Day 3
 Non-traditional data
 Evidence to action panel
 Transfer project Oscars!!!
Agenda highlights

16.  Coffee and lunch provided, cocktail snacks on W and TH nights
 Please wear name tags, state name/affiliation when making intervention the first time
Keep interventions concise please
 Speak slowly and into mic for translators
 No program is perfect, lets learn from each other
State your challenges, let your colleagues help you
This workshop is a ‘safe space’ to discuss concerns
Logistics and tips

17.  Answering email in your room at night is not allowed
 Please join us on the Sky Deck each evening
after cocktail session
 Ashu has lots and of chocolates to share
 Someone will buy you a drink I promise
 Talk to at least one person you don’t know each day
Logistics and tips

18.  Transfer Project website: https://transfer.cpc.unc.edu/
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransferProject
 Twitter: @TransferProjct @ashudirect
 Email: Ashu Handa, shanda@email.unc.edu; Susana Fajardo, susa@email.unc.edu
For more information