Targeting cash to Malawi's ultra-poor: A mixed methods evaluation

Governments target transfers so that limited resources reach impoverished households; targeting errors therefore indicate inefficiency in resource use and inability to reach the poorest households. This article examines the Malawi Social Cash Transfer Scheme (SCTS), using mixed methods and multiple data sources, including examination of underlying assumptions, the operationalisation of key concepts, questions of implementation, and errors of inclusion and exclusion. Despite serious challenges, the scheme's error rates are within the range of global averages. Its impressive impacts provide strong motivation for improving the targeting process before it is scaled up to the national level.