Abstract
This study focused on the complexity and particular nature of the role of the Child Support Grant’s (CSG) contribution to social mobility and poverty alleviation in South Africa in general and in the case of the Waterberg District Municipality in the Limpopo province in particular.
The study aimed to determine the fundamental purposes of the CSG policy in terms of whether this cash transfer policy intervention contributes to the eradication of the intergenerational poverty cycle, and whether it develops future and competitive human capital to improve the recipients’ prospects of upward social mobility. The study investigated the applicable situational factors of a similar child support programme in Brazil, with the aim to develop possible mechanisms to improve the CSG policy in South Africa.
The study was descriptive and evaluative in nature, and adopted a triangulated qualitative research approach. The unobtrusive research methods entailed conceptual, documentary, and content analyses. The triangulation of the data-collection methods included primary sources (interviews) and secondary sources (literature and official and unofficial documentary sources).
Despite a wide range of successes attributed to the CSG, such as its impact on poverty alleviation, improved health outcomes, high basic education enrolments, and increased purchasing power among its recipients, the programme is still plagued by multiple shortcomings. The findings reveal that the programme is still confronted by implementation challenges and administrative inefficiencies. In addition, there is no congruous and multisectoral coordination of policy activities among the social cluster departments. This study thus proposes the need for a triadic policy approach and longitudinal policy monitoring and evaluation to effectively deal with the multifaceted nature of poverty, human capital development, and social mobility. The triadic social policy development and implementation that should be adopted require strategic coordination and interdepartmental collaboration among the departments of Social Development, Basic Education, and Health. Systematic collaborative and integrated services among these ministries could lead to improved policy designs and implementation, which could be instrumental in achieving improved long-term impacts
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of social assistance programmes in areas of poverty alleviation and social mobility among the beneficiaries.
Keywords: Child Support Grant, human capital, intergenerational poverty, poverty alleviation, social assistance, social development, social mobility, social welfare