American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (AJHSSR)
2019
American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (AJHSSR) e-ISSN :2378-703X Volume-3, Issue-2, pp-48-52 www.ajhssr.com
Research Paper
Open Access
Addressing the political economy of conditional cash transfer as a poverty reduction programme in Nigeria Betiang, Peter A. Ph Angioha Catherine U, and Abambeshie Jeremiah Department of Continuing Education and Development Studies University of Calabar Calabar
ABSTRACT: This paper examines the political economy of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) Scheme in Nigeria within the context of poverty reduction efforts over the years. The concept, dimensions and some theoretical explanations for poverty are once again revisited. The nature and operation of condition cash transfer is examined, with an eye on the economics and politics of this scheme. Authors observe that as a social redistribution programme, CCT is a potent safety net that could really help to break the cycle of poverty among the very poor in the country. However, within the Nigerian context, the paper observes that the issues of a clear cut target, beneficiaries, lack of institution framework, including a standardized Monitoring and Evaluation (ME) procedure, coupled with the obvious use of the CCT for political expedience all aggregate to dim the possibility, viability and potency of the CCTâ€&#x;S success in reducing poverty in Nigeria. However suggestions are made against the background of how this programme is being operated elsewhere in the world, as to how to improve the operation of this scheme in the overall matrix of poverty reduction in Nigeria.
KEYWORDS: political economy, conditional cash transfer, poverty reduction, social safety net, income distribution relative poverty, absolute poverty
I.
INTRODUCTION
Poverty is a global phenomenon which affects almost all peoples, races, groups and nations of the world. It is a social malaise that afflicts in varying degrees both rich and poor nations, northern and southern nations, black, white or coloured nations. Thought viewed in this way, poverty exists in all forms and in different forms between one nation, community or group and other. Different professional fields conceive of poverty in a manner and perspective that reflects their (professional) peculiarity. So, whereas the economists may construct poverty as a state of being constrained in exercising purchasing power, sociologist may view poverty as a state of being where the social structure places one at a disadvantage- economically, socially and culturally. More philosophical scholars may sometimes also speak of spiritual or intellectual poverty. However this may be conceives, poverty can be reduced into two broad perspectives; (a)the state of moneylessness, and (b) the state of powerlessness (Meier, 1983). In the course of this discussion, we shall be referring to poverty from these two broad dimensions, and all reference to poverty reduction shall presuppose this composite view of poverty. Concept and incidence of poverty in Nigeria Poverty has been defined by different scholars over time in a manner which provides us with a fair idea of the conceptualization and dimensions of poverty. For Barazt and Grisby Khalid (2005), poverty is a condition involving some deprivations and adverse occurrences that are closely (but not necessarily exclusively) associated with inadequate economic resources. For Watt, (2000),poverty is a state of being in which one is unable to meet oneâ€&#x;s basic needs. But in this definition, the question of what constitutes needs arises immediately; for what constitute basic needs in one culture. This situation often gives rise to the demarcation of poverty into relative and absolute poverty. While relative poverty is seen as comparative poverty –a concept that is difficult to grasp, absolute poverty is seen as a situation in which people are barely existing, where the next meal may literally be a matter of life or death as a cumulative effect of malnutrition and starvation enfeeble all (Webster, 1993). The World Bank views absolute poverty as a being based on minimum income needed for basic necessities of life. The international policy center for inclusive Growth (2017) has evolve three concepts of poverty based on what the call subsistence, basic needs and relative deprivation. Placed against our earlier attempt at defining poverty, this defining is still within the frame work of absolute and relative poverty. Yet again, valentine (1968)says that the essence of poverty is inequality. In slight different words, the basic meaning of poverty for him is relative deprivation .Sometimes also, poverty is define in statistical terms, a criterion
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