Resource information
Inter-household transfers are an
important resource for low-income households, yet have been
almost ignored by donors. Though they are no substitute for
public programs, these private transfers merit more
attention in poverty research, gender analysis, project
design, and development strategies. The note provides
insight on what drives inter-household transfers - of money,
goods, and services - through anthropological, and
sociological explanations, but most importantly the
inter-generational support, which act as an informal social
security system, by which children take care of their
parents in old age, or parents provide for their children in
emergencies. As well, the note looks into coping strategies
for women, and women-headed households, who increasingly
bear the brunt of economic crises. This raises a number of
questions on policy implications: what net re-distributive
effect do public transfers have on health, old age security,
on net private flows? Furthermore, can some services be
provided more efficiently through private, rather than
public transfers? Similarly, other questions address how to
reach vulnerable groups - ethnic minorities or
women-household heads -effectively through private
transfers, and, how can informal private networks, make
public sector targeting more effective.
