Rethinking Poverty and Social Exclusion Responses in Post-Conflict Nepal

Child-Sensitive Social Protection

Abstract

Nepal’s extraordinary political transition to peace and democracy has raised great expectations of social change. The complex situation of pervasive poverty and social exclusion exacerbated by Nepal’s physical environment, as well as the postconflict economic stagnation, call for new policy interventions. Based on political, economic and social arguments, the paper makes the case for strengthening social protection with the specific proposal of introducing a child grant—a cash transfer from the government to families with children—which is presented as a possible “building block” in the country’s social protection system. It is also argued that a grant could be more effective at addressing both child well-being and the broader challenges of poverty and inequality if it were universal and unconditional. The paper draws on primary data collected through surveys and focus group discussions, combined with secondary sources and the authors’ involvement in some of the policy processes. It thus also represents a case study on the “theory and practice” of developing child-sensitive social protection in a post-conflict environment.