CASH TRANSFER GRANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

EPISODE NINE

In April 2020, 1 in 5 South Africans were going to bed hungry. The country had locked down hard, millions of casual workers were laid off. The existing system of food parcel distribution was overwhelmed, and there were issues with logistical management and theft. There were nightly images on the news of snaking queues for food that always ran out. During this emergency, Kate Orkin influenced £4.87 billion in spending that helped 28.5 million people and saved 5.5 million from extreme poverty. In November 2023 Kate was awarded the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) Outstanding Public Policy Impact Award 2023 for her work in South Africa. In this episode, Kate talks to CSAE Director Stefan Dercon about the work behind the prize and the challenges she faced turning her research into policy.

Project location: South Africa Read the transcript Published 28 November 2023

Listen via University of Oxford Podcasts

Listen via Apple Podcasts

Listen via the CSAE YouTube Channel

MBRG Policy Work

Find out more about the policy partnerships of the Mind and Behaviour Research Group at the CSAE, including the work conducted with the South African government

Kenya cash transfers project

Read all about the project aims, methods, and results on the CSAE website.

ESRC Impact Prize 2023 project video

As part of the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize 2023, a video was made about Kate's research in South Africa.

Kate Orkin wins ESRC Outstanding Public Policy Impact Prize 2023

This research, led by Dr Kate Orkin (University of Oxford), was the winner of the Outstanding Public Policy Impact award at the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize 2023.

November 2023

Stefan Dercon

CSAE Director and Professor of Public Policy
University of Oxford

Kate Orkin

Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy and Lead of the Mind and Behaviour Research Group
University of Oxford

CASH TRANSFER GRANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC