Virtual Brown Bag: The political economy of lean season transfers in Malawi: Is hunger the only targeting criterion?
Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Time: 02:00 pm to 03:30 pm CAT
Presenter slides and a blog will be available in the days following the event.
Abstract
Do electoral considerations play a role in the targeting of humanitarian transfers? We analyze the targeting of direct cash and food transfers distributed in Malawi in response to an exceptionally poor harvest following a late and erratic rainy season of 2015–16. Combining household survey data on transfers with a remotely sensed measure of drought and with the results of the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections, we show that transfers were disproportionately targeted at marginal constituencies. Rather than distributing the transfers based solely on need or mobilizing its tribal base, the government attempted to persuade swing voters to support its candidates in the next elections. We find no evidence that this strategy was successful at increasing the vote of ruling party candidates in subsequent elections.
Speaker
Jan Duchoslav, Research Fellow, IFPRI Malawi
Moderator
Bob Baulch, Senior Research Fellow/Program Leader IFPRI Malawi
Individuals attending this event may be audio taped, videotaped, or photographed during the course of a meeting, and by attending grant permission for their likenesses and the content of their comments, if any, to be broadcast, webcast, published, or otherwise reported or recorded. Questions? Please contact IFPRI-Lilongwe@cgiar.org
Featured image: Mchinji, Malawi. During a cash transfer ceremony. Photo credit: ©FAO/Amos Gumulira.
