Social transfers and poverty in middle- and high-income countries – A global perspective. (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ferrarini, Tommy; Nelson, Kenneth; Palme, Joakim
• Is Part Of: Global social policy. Volume 16:Number 1(2016:Apr.)
• Page Start: 22
• Page End: 46
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: Cash benefits -- poverty -- redistribution -- social policy -- targeting; Social policy -- Periodicals; 361
• DOI: 10.1177/1468018115591712
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-0181

Abstract

This study investigates an old question that has re-emerged in social policymaking and in analyses of global social development: to what extent does targeting and size of social transfers matter for poverty? Using multilevel logistic regression and Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg (LIS) income data for 40 middle- and high-income countries, we show that the size of transfer income has greater explanatory value for cross-country differences in poverty than the degree of targeting of transfer income. The results are remarkably robust in terms of estimated individual-level and country-level compositional and confounding factors.