Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T07:02:16.971Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Receiving Social Assistance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Negating Shame or Producing Stigma?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2019

KEETIE ROELEN Open the ORCID record for KEETIE ROELEN [Opens in a new window]
KEETIE ROELEN*
Affiliation:
Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Brighton, UK email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Despite the centrality of shame and stigma within research on welfare in high-income countries, these issues only exist within the periphery of rapidly expanding practice in and research on social assistance in low- and middle-income countries. This oversight undermines social assistance’s potential in breaking the poverty-shame cycle and ignores its role in the (re)production of shame and stigma. This article offers a critical exploration of the role of social assistance in alleviating or reinforcing shame and stigma in low- and middle-income countries. Findings indicate that positive and negative effects co-exist but that far too little evidence is available to judge whether social assistance receipt overwhelmingly negates or plays into shame and stigma, particularly in low-income countries. Greater awareness of the interface between social assistance, shame and stigma, explorations of policy options that minimise or counter stigmatisation, and critical engagement with ideological and political discourse underpinning design and delivery of interventions represent crucial steps to move towards ‘shame proofing’ social assistance in low- and middle-income countries.

Keywords

social protectionsocial assistanceshamestigmawelfarelow- and middle-income countries
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 49 , Issue 4 , October 2020 , pp. 705 - 723
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adato, M., Devereux, S. and Sabates-Wheeler, R. (2016), ‘Accessing the ‘Right’ Kinds of Material and Symbolic Capital: the Role of Cash Transfers in Reducing Adolescent School Absence and Risky Behaviour in South Africa.’ The Journal of Development Studies, 52(8), 1132–1146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansell, N., Blerk, L. v., Robson, E., Hajdu, F., Mwathunga, E., Hlabana, T., and Hemsteede, R. (2019), Social cash transfers, generational relations and youth poverty trajectories in rural Lesotho and Malawi. Policy brief 4: Supporting young people through cash transfers and poverty reduction strategies. London: Brunel University.Google Scholar
Attah, R., Barca, V., Kardan, A., MacAuslan, I., Merttens, F. and Pellerano, L. (2016), ‘Can Social Protection Affect Psychosocial Wellbeing and Why Does This Matter? Lessons from Cash Transfers in Sub-Saharan Africa’, The Journal of Development Studies 52(8), 1115–1131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., Goldberg, N., Karlan, D., Osei, R., Parienté, W., Shapiro, J., Thuysbaert, B. and Udry, C. (2015), ‘A multifaceted program causes lasting progress for the very poor: Evidence from six countries’, Science, 348(6236).Google Scholar
Bastagli, F., Hagen-Zanker, J., Harman, L., Barca, V., Sturge, G., Schmidt, T. and Pellerano, L. (2016), Cash transfers: what does the evidence say? London: ODI.Google Scholar
Baumberg, B. (2016), ‘The stigma of claiming benefits: a quantitative study’, Journal of Social Policy, 45(2), 181–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bos, A. E. R., Pryor, J.B., Reeder, G. D. and Stutterheim, S. E. (2013), ‘Stigma: Advances in Theory and Research’, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 35(1), 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chase, E. and Bantebya-Kyomuhendo, G. (2014), Poverty and Shame: The Future. Chase, E. and Bantebya-Kyomuhendo, G. (Eds.) Poverty and Shame: Global Experiences. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Choudry, S. (2014), Pakistan: a journey of poverty-induced shame. Gubrium, E., Pellissery, S. and Lodemel, I. (Eds.) The Shame of It. Global Perspectives on Anti-Poverty Policies (pp. 111–133), Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Coady, D., Grosh, M. and Hoddinott, J. (2004), Targeting of Transfers in Developing Countries: Review of Lessons and Experience. Washington DC: World Bank.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cookson, T. (2018), Unjust Conditions: Women’s Work and the Hidden Costs of Cash Transfer Programs. Oakland, California: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Curchin, K. (2019), The Illiberalism of Behavioural Conditionality: A Critique of Australia’s ‘No Jab, No Pay’ Policy. Journal of Social Policy, 1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, O. (2019), ‘What is the relationship between benefit conditionality and mental health? Evidence from the United States on TANF policies’ Journal of Social Policy 48(2), 249–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devereux, S. (2016), ‘Is targeting ethical?’ Global Social Policy 16(2), 166–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devereux, S., Masset, E., Sabates-Wheeler, R., Samson, M., Rivas, A-M. and te Lintelo, D. (2017), ‘The targeting effectiveness of social transfers’, Journal of Development Effectiveness, 9(2), 162–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devereux, S., Roelen, K., Sabates, R., Stoelinga, D. and Dyevre, A. (2015), Final Evaluation Report. Concern’s Graduation Model Programme in Burundi. Dublin: Concern Worldwide.Google Scholar
Devereux, S., Roelen, K. and Ulrichs, M. (2016), ‘Where Next for Social Protection?’ IDS Bulletin, 47(4).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devereux, S. and Ulrichs, M. (2015), ‘Stakeholder Perceptions on Graduation in Ethiopia and Rwanda’, IDS Bulletin, 46(2).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dornan, P. and Oganda Portela, M. J. (2016), Do feelings of shame undermine children’s development? Oxford: University of Oxford.Google Scholar
EC (2015), Supporting Social Protection Systems. Concept Paper No. 4. Tools and Methods Series. Brussels, European Commission.Google Scholar
Engel, S. (2017), ‘Shame, Poverty and Development Studies’, Journal of International Development, 29(8), 1215–1226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eriksen, A. (2018), Reclaiming Responsibility: The Case of Welfare-to-Work Policy. Journal of Social Policy, 1–18.Google Scholar
Ferguson, J. (2015), Give a Man a Fish: Reflections on the New Politics of Redistribution. Durham: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Fiszbein, A. and Schady, N. (2009), Conditional Cash Transfers. Washington DC, World Bank.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garthwaite, K. (2016), ‘Stigma, shame and 'people like us': an ethnographic study of foodbank use in the UK’, Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 24(3), 277–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goffman, E. (1963), Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. London: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Gubrium, E. (2014), Resetting the stage. Gubrium, E., Pellissery, S. and Lodemel, I.. (Eds.) The Shame of It. (pp. 1–16), Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Hochfeld, T. and Plagerson, S. (2011), ‘Dignity and Stigma among South African Female Cash Transfer Recipients’, IDS Bulletin, 42(6), 53–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hojman, D. A. and Miranda, Á. (2018), ‘Agency, Human Dignity, and Subjective Well-being’, World Development, 101: 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, R. and Jones, N. (2013), Gender and Social Protection in the Developing World. Beyond Mothers and Safety Nets. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
ILO (2017), World Social Protection Report 2017-19. Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Geneva: International Labour Organisation (ILO).Google Scholar
Kabeer, N. (2010), Can the MDGs provide a pathway to social justice? The challenges of intersecting inequalities. New York and Brighton, UN MDG Achievement Fund and Institute of Development Studies.Google Scholar
Kaltenborn, M., Abdulai, A.-G., Roelen, K. and Hague, S. (2017), The Influence of Policy and Legal Frameworks on the Development of National Social Protection Systems. IDS Working Paper 501/ CSP Working Paper 016. Brighton, Institute of Development Studies/ Centre for Social Protection.Google Scholar
Kidd, S. (2017), ‘Social exclusion and access to social protection schemes’, Journal of Development Effectiveness, 9(2), 212–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lagarde, M., Haines, A. and Palmer, N. (2007), ‘Conditional cash transfers for improving uptake of health interventions in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review’, JAMA, 298(16), 1900–1910.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Larsen, C. A. (2008), ‘The Institutional Logic of Welfare Attitudes: How Welfare Regimes Influence Public Support’, Comparative Political Studies, 41(2), 145–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Link, B. G. and Phelan, J.C. (2001), ‘Conceptualizing Stigma’, Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1), 363–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lister, R. (2004), Poverty. Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Lister, R. (2015), ‘'To count for nothing': Poverty beyond the statistics’, Journal of the British Academy, 3, 139–165Google Scholar
Mariotti, C., Ulrichs, M. and Harman, L. (2016), Sustainable escapes from poverty through productive inclusion: A policy guide on the role of social protection. Policy Guide No. 9. London, Chronic Poverty Advisory Network.Google Scholar
Miller, C. M., Tsoka, M., Reichert, K. and Hussaini, A. (2010), ‘Interrupting the intergenerational cycle of poverty with the Malawi Social Cash Transfer’, Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 5(2), 108–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molyneux, M., Jones, W. N. and Samuels, F. (2016), ‘Can Cash Transfer Programmes Have ‘Transformative’ Effects?’ The Journal of Development Studies, 52(8), 1087–1098.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Narayan, D., Patel, R., Schafft, K., Rademacher, A. and Koch-Schulte, S. (2000), Voices of the poor: can anyone hear us? Washington DC: World Bank.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nussbaum, M. (2004), Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame and the Law. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Oorschot, W. van (2000), ‘Who should get what, and why? On deservingness criteria and the conditionality of solidarity among the public’, Policy & Politics, 28(1), 33–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patrick, R. (2016), ‘Living with and responding to the 'scrounger’ narrative in the UK: exploring everyday strategies of acceptance, resistance and deflection’, Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 24(3), 245–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellissery, S., Lodemel, I. and Gubrium, E. (2014), Shame and shaming in policy processes. Gubrium, E., Pellissery, S. and Lodemel, I.. (Eds.) The Shame of It. Global Perspectives on Anti-Poverty Policies. (pp. 179–198), Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Pellissery, S. and Mathew, L. (2014), Thick Poverty, thicker society and thin state: policy spaces for human dignity in India. Gubrium, E., Pellissery, S. and Lodemel, I. (Eds.) The Shame of It. Global Perspectives on Anti-Poverty Policies (pp. 37–60), Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Pinker, R. (1971), Social Theory and Social Policy. London, Heinemann Educational Books.Google Scholar
Qi, D. and Wu, Y. (2018), ‘Does welfare stigma exist in China? Policy evaluation of the Minimum Living Security System on recipients’ psychological health and wellbeing, Social Science & Medicine, 205, 26–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roelen, K. (2017), Shame, Poverty and Social Protection. IDS Working Paper 489. Brighton: Institute of Development Studies.Google Scholar
Roelen, K., Delap, E., Jones, C. and Karki Chettri, H. (2017), ‘Improving child wellbeing and care in Sub-Saharan Africa: The role of social protection’, Children and Youth Services Review, 73, 309–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roelen, K. and Devereux, S. (2019), ‘Money and the Message: The Role of Training and Coaching in Graduation Programming’, The Journal of Development Studies, 55(6), 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samuels, F. and Stavropoulou, M. (2016), '‘Being Able to Breathe Again’: The Effects of Cash Transfer Programmes on Psychosocial Wellbeing’, The Journal of Development Studies, 52(8), 1099–1114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scambler, G. (2018), ‘Heaping blame on shame: ‘Weaponising stigma’ for neoliberal times’, The Sociological Review, 66(4), 766–782.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheff, T. (2000), ‘Shame and the Social Bond: A Sociological Theory’, Sociological Theory, 18(1), 84–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scheff, T. (2003), Looking Glass Selves: the Cooley/Goffman Conjecture. Paper presented at the Memorial Session for Erving Goffman, ASA, Atlanta, August 2003, Atlanta.Google Scholar
Scheff, T. (2014), ‘The Ubiquity of Hidden Shame in Modernity’, Cultural Sociology, 8(2), 129–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spicker, P. (1984), Stigma and Social Welfare. London, Croom Helm.Google Scholar
Spicker, P. (1988), Principles of social welfare: an introduction to thinking about the welfare state. London, Routledge.Google Scholar
Standing, G. (2017), Basic Income: And How We Can Make It Happen. London: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Tangney, J. P. (1996), ‘Conceptual and methodological issues in the assessment of shame and guilt’, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34(9), 741–754.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J. and Mashek, D. J. (2007), ‘Moral Emotions and Moral Behavior’, Annual review of psychology, 58: 345–372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teroni, F. and Bruun, O. (2011), ‘Shame, Guilt and Morality’, Journal of Moral Philosophy, 8(2), 223–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyler, I. and Slater, T. (2018), ‘Rethinking the sociology of stigma’, The Sociological Review, 66(4), 721–743.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Laar, C., Derks, B. and Ellemers, N. (2013), ‘Motivation for Education and Work in Young Muslim Women: The Importance of Value for Ingroup Domains’, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 35(1), 64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Laar, C. and Levin, S. (2005), The Experience of Stigma: Individual, Interpersonal, and Situational Influences. Levin, S. and Van Laar, C. (Eds.) Stigma and Group Inequality: Social Psychological Perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.Google Scholar
Van Vliet, K. J. (2008), ‘Shame and resilience in adulthood: A grounded theory study’, Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(2), 233–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, R. (2014), The Shame of Poverty. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, R. and Chase, E. (2014), ‘Adding to the shame of poverty: the public, politicians and the media’, Poverty, 148: 9–13.Google Scholar
Walker, R., Kyomuhendo, G., Chase, E., Choudhry, S., Gubrium, E. K., Nicola, J. Y., Lodemel, I., Mathew, L., Mwiine, A., Pellissery, S. and Ming, Y. (2013), ‘Poverty in Global Perspective: Is Shame a Common Denominator?’ Journal of Social Policy, 42(2), 215–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watts, B. and Fitzpatrick, S. (2018), Welfare Conditionality. Abingdon: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, H. (2017), ‘Effective targeting of social programmes: an overview of issues’, Journal of Development Effectiveness, 9(2), 145–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, G., Noble, M., Ntshongwana, P., Neves, D. and Barnes, H. (2014), The Role of Social Security in Respecting and Protecting the Dignity of Lone Mothers in South Africa: Final Report Oxford, SASPRI.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yan, M. (2014), New urban poverty and new welfare provision: China’s dibao system. Gubrium, E., Pellissery, S. and Lodemel, I. (Eds.) The Shame of It (pp. 17–36), Bristol: Policy Press.Google Scholar
Zavaleta, D. R. (2007), The Ability to go without Shame. OPHI Working Paper No. 03. Oxford: OPHI.Google Scholar