The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Vol. 19, No. 1: Conditionality and Social Security in a Global Context

While conditionality of social welfare programmes is a longstanding albeit contested issue in social policy debates, its appearance in anti-poverty measures in developing countries is relatively new. The February issue of the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice features a themed section on conditionality and social security in a global context, co-edited by Oxford researcher Fran Bennett, UNRISD Research Coordinator Katja Hujo and former UNRISD Research Analyst Elena Gaia.

The three articles in the section present some insights into the varying and controversial views about what is increasingly proclaimed as an emerging consensus in favour of relating behavioural conditionality to cash transfers, especially for families with children. The articles encourage critical thinking on a policy approach that has been associated with improved outcomes in poverty reduction in many parts of the world, but which clearly needs more research and broad-based evaluations in order to understand its effects on broader welfare indicators and its role in bringing about sustainable development and social transformation.

Contents
Themed Section

• Editorial, Elena Gaia, Katja Hujo and Fran Bennett
• A Step in the Wrong Direction: Linking the South Africa Child Support Grant to School Attendance, Francie Lund
• Conditions in Antipoverty Programmes, Armando Barrientos
• Behavioural Conditionality: Why the Nudges Must Be Stopped—An Opinion Piece, Guy Standing

Other articles

• Tax Credits: A Close-Up View, Jane Millar
• Top-Down or Bottom-Up: The Real Choice for Public Services?, Anneliese Dodds and Dan Paskins
• The Distributional Consequences of the 2010 Spending Review, Tim Horton and Howard Reed
• An Examination of the Public Discourse on Benefit Claimants in the Media, Richard Baillie
• Employment and Support Allowance—What Next?, Daphne Hall
• Department for Work and Pensions
  Employment and Support Allowance: Findings from a Face-To-Face Survey of Customers, Helen Barnes, Paul Sissons, Helen Stevens
• Government Round-Up, Stephen Morris
• Teenage Pregnancy: What's the Problem?, Kate Bradley