Research

Working papers

Social protection, women's participation in decision-making, and food security in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic literature review
with Franziska Gassmann (Maastricht University), Nyasha Tirivayi (UNICEF Innocenti), and Keetie Roelen (Open University)

[UNDER REVIEW]
Increasing external shocks such as wars, climate, and pandemics have been increasing food insecurity worldwide in parallel to rising gender gaps in food insecurity. Cash and food transfers are typical instruments to improve food security but with context-dependent effectiveness. In some instances, gender equality seems to moderate or mediate the effect of cash transfers on food security, but how this relationship works is unclear. This systematic literature review examines the pathways through which gender equality can affect food security outcomes (at both individual and household levels) conditional on the receipt of cash or food transfers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the most affected by food insecurity. By balancing where the evidence lies, we assess whether, upon the distribution of cash or food transfers to households, the involvement of women in decision-making leads to different food security outcomes.