Alumni

Dr. Jennifer Waidler

Thesis:
Social transfers and remittances: complements or substitutes for reducing poverty?

Year: 2018

Promotor(s):
Pierre Mohnen, Melissa Siegel & Franziska Gassmann

Abstract:

Ending poverty is the first sustainable development goal that the United Nations, supported by governments and other international organizations, has set for 2030. Governments around the world have therefore adopted social protection programmes as one of the key elements of their poverty reductions strategies. Social protection, and more specifically non-contributory transfers or social assistance, is crucial to reduce poverty and increase the resilience of the poor. Investment in social protection programmes has increased significantly in the developing world. However, many poor households do not have access to, or are not covered by government interventions. Remittances -or money sent back home by emigrants from abroad- can contribute to improving the living conditions of the poor by diversifying the sources of income available to a household. Consequently, migration (through remittances) can be understood as a form of informal social protection.

By drawing on longitudinal household surveys from South Africa and Kyrgyzstan and using quantitative methodologies of impact evaluation, this thesis looks at the effects of both social assistance and remittances on a wide range of outcomes, from expenditure patterns to food insecurity and subjective well-being. Even though social assistance transfers and remittances share many similarities, there is scant literature comparing them. This book, therefore, explores and compares their role in the fight against poverty, one of the primary goals of both transfers. ?



Selected publications by Jennifer Waidler


Articles (journal, professional, popular)
Gassmann, Franziska, Bruno Martorano & Jennifer Waidler, 2021, `How Social Assistance Affects Subjective Wellbeing: Lessons from Kyrgyzstan, The Journal of Development Studies, Online, More information
Kidman, Rachel, Jennifer Waidler & Tia Palermo, 2020, `Uptake of HIV testing among adolescents and associated adolescent-friendly services, BMC Health Services Research, 20
Kuschminder, Katherine & Jennifer Waidler, 2020, `At Europe’s frontline: factors determining migrants decision making for onwards migration from Greece and Turkey, Migration and Development, 9, More information
Waidler, Jennifer & Stephen Devereux, 2019, `Social grants, remittances, and food security: does the source of income matter?, Food Security, More information
Vanore, Michaella, Melissa Siegel, Franziska Gassmann & Jennifer Waidler, 2018, `Adult Child Migration and Elderly Multidimensional Well-Being: Comparative Analysis Between Moldova and Georgia, Research on Aging, 40, More information
Gassmann, Franziska, Melissa Siegel, Michaella Vanore & Jennifer Waidler, 2018, `Unpacking the Relationship between Parental Migration and Child well-Being: Evidence from Moldova and Georgia, Child Indicators Research, 11, More information
Waidler, Jennifer, Michaella Vanore, Franziska Gassmann & Melissa Siegel, 2018, `Migration and the Multi-Dimensional Well-Being of Elderly Persons in Georgia, Journal of Population Ageing, 11, More information
Waidler, Jennifer, Michaella Vanore, Franziska Gassmann & Melissa Siegel, 2017, `Does it matter where the children are? , Ageing and Society, 37, More information
Waidler, Jennifer, Jessica Sabine Hagen-Zanker, Franziska Gassmann & Melissa Siegel, 2017, `Do remittances and social assistance have different impacts on expenditure patterns of recipient households? , Migration and Development, in press , More information
Waidler, Jennifer, Michaella Vanore, Franziska Gassmann & Melissa Siegel, 2017, `Does it matter where the children are? , Ageing and Society, 37, More information
Siegel, Melissa & Jennifer Waidler, 2012, `Migration and multi-dimensional poverty in Moldovan communities, Eastern Journal of European Studies, 3


UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Gassmann, Franziska, Bruno Martorano & Jennifer Waidler, 2021, How social assistance affects subjective Well-being: Lessons from Kyrgyzstan, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2021-013
Waidler, Jennifer, 2016, On the fungibility of public and private transfers: A mental accounting approach, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2016-060
Waidler, Jennifer, Jessica Sabine Hagen-Zanker, Franziska Gassmann & Melissa Siegel, 2014, Do remittances and social assistance have different impacts on expenditure patterns of recipient households? The Moldovan case, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2014-072
Gassmann, Franziska, Melissa Siegel, Michaella Vanore & Jennifer Waidler, 2013, The impact of migration on children left behind in Moldova, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2013-043
Gassmann, Franziska, Melissa Siegel, Michaella Vanore & Jennifer Waidler, 2012, The impact of migration on elderly left behind in Moldova, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2012-082
Siegel, Melissa & Jennifer Waidler, 2012, Migration and multi-dimensional poverty in Moldovan communities, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2012-077


External working papers
Devereux, Stephen & Jennifer Waidler, 2017, Why does malnutrition persist in South Africa despite social grants?, Food Security SA Working Paper Series No.001. DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security, South Africa, More information


Conference contributions
Gassmann, Franziska, Bruno Martorano & Jennifer Waidler, 2018, From Cradle to Grave? Poverty, Social Assistance, and Subjective Well-being in Kyrgyzstan, HDCA Conference 2018, Buenos Aires
Gassmann, Franziska & Jennifer Waidler, 2017, For Better or Worse: Aspirations and Expectations of Central Asia’s Youth, 3rd Annual LIK Conference, Bishkek, 12-13 October, 2017
Waidler, Jennifer & Stephen Devereux, 2017, Social grants, remittances, and food security: does the source of income matter?, APPAM international conference, Brussels, Belgium
Waidler, Jennifer, 2017, In pursuit of happiness: do social assistance and remittances improve subjective well-being?, Life in Kyrgyzstan conference, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Waidler, Jennifer & Stephen Devereux, 2016, Social transfers, remittances, and food security: does the source of income matter?, Social protection systems - tying the knots, Bonn, Germany
Waidler, Jennifer, 2015, On the fungibility of public and private transfers: a mental accounting approach, IAREP-SABE Joint Conference "Economics and Psychology together for a better life", Sibiu, Romania
Waidler, Jennifer, 2014, Does it matter where the children are? The wellbeing of elderly people ‘left behind’ by migrant children in Moldova, 11th IMISCOE Annual Conference, Madrid, Spain
Waidler, Jennifer, 2014, Do remittances and social assistance have different impacts on expenditure patterns of recipient households? The Moldovan Case, UNU-MERIT Innovation and Governance in Development, Maastricht, The Netherlands


Theses
Waidler, Jennifer, 2018, Social assistance and remittances and their role in the fight against poverty, PhD dissertation Maastricht University / United Nations University


Other (editorship, media appearance, keynote, etc.)
Waidler, Jennifer, 2017, , More information

UNU-MERIT