The Ultra-Poor Graduation approach is backed by one of the strongest evidence bases in international development. Rigorous studies across multiple countries show that it helps families escape extreme poverty and stay out of it. But nearly all of that evidence comes from programs run by NGOs. To reach the millions of people still living in extreme poverty, governments need to deliver it themselves.
In a recent episode of Ideas in Development, VoxDev’s podcast on economic policy and research, Stephanie Brockerhoff, Director for Programme Design and Impact at BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative, joins host Oliver Hanney to discuss that challenge.
The conversation covers:
- Why pilots fall apart at handover. Programs that succeed under NGO delivery often lose effectiveness when governments take them over.
- How BRAC partners with governments. BRAC works with government partners to design and deliver Graduation programs within existing public systems.
- The bottlenecks that remain. Stephanie describes the obstacles that still stand between proven programs and national scale.
Ideas in Development is available wherever you get your podcasts. Read the full write-up on VoxDev’s Substack:
