Effect of government cash transfers on beneficiaries’ socio-economic wellbeing: a case of Uganda’s youth livelihood program

Abstract

The study examined the effects of the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) on the socio¬economic wellbeing of the beneficiaries in Pallisa District, Uganda. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining cross sectional survey design and qualitative interviews for key informants. The data was collected from 126 beneficiaries and 15 key informants. The findings of the study show that most beneficiaries used the funds given to them to start income generating activities mainly in agriculture and small businesses and services, but the success of these projects was largely moderate due to challenges like delayed disbursement, insufficient funding, and lack of financial literacy. While there were slight improvements in income levels and overall affordability of basic needs like food, healthcare, education, shelter, the program’s contribution to assets accumulation was very minimal and only limited to small assets like livestock and basic tools. A negligible number were able to acquire land or any other long-term productive assets. Overall, YLP led to moderate improvements in beneficiaries’ socio-economic wellbeing by enhancing the beneficiaries’ ability to start income generating activities which enhanced their ability to meet some basic needs. This study concludes that while YLP has potential to empower youth economically, its overall impact remains limited by design and implementation gaps. It recommends individual funding, increased funding per group, timely disbursement, financial literacy training and improved monitoring for improved program outcomes.