How evidence helped address ultra poverty in Malawi

The Malawi Social Cash Transfer Programme aims to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations, which are constrained from participating in the labour force because of age (too old or young), chronic illnesses or disabilities. The evidence generated from a 3ie-supported impact evaluation informed four changes in the programme design, including its eventual scale-up across all districts in Malawi. The evidence helped dispel several myths associated with unconditional cash transfers and reduce scepticism among several stakeholders.