Analyzing the Impact of a CCT on Multidimensional Poverty of Young Girls: Evidence From HPTN 068

Kelly Kilburn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lucia Ferrone , Università degli Studi di Firenze
Audrey Pettifor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ryan Wagner, MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit
Francesc Gomez-Olive, Harvard University
Kathleen Kahn, University of the Witwatersrand

While it has long been recognized that poverty goes beyond monetary means, evidence on the impact of social protection on multidimensional poverty remains scarce. We contribute to this evidence by analyzing the effect of a conditional cash transfer intervention for adolescent girls and young women, the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HTPN) protocol 068 (also known as Swa Koteka), on multidimensional poverty of young girls in South Africa. Using primary data collected for the evaluation of HPTN 068, we construct an individual level measure that is specific to the context. Our measure is defined over six dimensions: education, health and food security, protection, familial and social relationships, economic agency, and psychosocial well-being. We find that the cash transfer consistently reduces multidimensional poverty among young girls, in particular through the domains of protection from violence, economic agency, and food security.

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 Presented in Session 2. Children & Youth