Implementing Social Protection in Agro-pastoralist and Pastoralist Areas: How Local Distribution Structures Moderate PSNP Outcomes in Ethiopia

Widespread poverty and vulnerability in pastoralist areas highlight the critical need to extend the provision of social protection to these populations. Using mixed methods we show that program designs predicated on experiences in agrarian areas, such as Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme, cannot easily be transplanted into pastoral areas given the nature of their distributional channels. We explore how two such channels modify the impact of the PSNP: practices of sharing within mutual support networks and, the role of informal authority structures in targeting and appeals decisions.