By Dr. Imran Matin | Executive Director, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development
The development community has been heavily researching and discussing cash transfers over the past decade, publishing hundreds of studies and scores of articles on their impacts and potential to alleviate poverty.
At BRAC, the world’s largest NGO in the Global South working to combat inequality worldwide, we have seen the value of cash transfers firsthand. We have also seen how augmenting cash with a holistic set of interventions—a “cash plus” approach—can enhance their long-term impacts. “Cash plus” interventions can empower people who face the greatest marginalization to build long-term, resilient livelihoods and create a pathway out of extreme poverty. But what can other programs and policies learn from these interventions to generate sustained impact?