‘'And Who Listens to the Poor?' Shocks, Stresses and Safety Nets in India and Pakistan

This study conducts an impact assessment of a social safety net program called Targeting the Ultra Poor (TUP) in West Bengal, India, and Sindh, Pakistan. The study uses life histories of program participants from India and Pakistan to examine participants’ trajectories of poverty and to assess whether TUP has managed to tackle the main elements of their poverty.

The TUP program in India and Pakistan is part of a global poverty alleviation initiative known as the CGAP and Ford Foundation Graduation Programme. It was designed and developed by the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). Study findings indicate that:

• Participants experienced different idiosyncratic resources and risks that defined their initial starting points before joining the programs;
• Program performance among participants was largely based on a combination of initial starting points, program functioning and use of personal agency;
• TUP succeeded in strengthening participants’ individual and household resources and access to social networks, and expanding certain spheres of influence;
• Some constraints, however, were too deeply internalised to influence, and sustaining positive outcomes beyond graduation proved to be a challenge.