New UNICEF qualitative study of a pilot universal child benefit programme in Kenya
| 12 March 2025 | News
It is great to see another independent QuIP publication – Qualitative Assessment of the Implementation and Impact of the Pilot Universal Child Benefit Programme in Kenya by lead author Dr Thibault Uytterhaegen of UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight. This is a great example of using QuIP and causal mapping to answer a specific impact evaluation question (the significant changes that beneficiaries identify in selected domains of their lives in the period of the pilot implementation and the perceived causal drivers of those changes) alongside key informant interviews and documentary reviews to answer process evaluation questions on design and implementation of the pilot.
The research design clearly lays out the rationale for using the different approaches, including a great summary of QuIP, a masterclass on QuIP sampling from p.15 (see this blog for more on sampling) and causal mapping for the analysis. The report makes substantial use of causal maps to map the causal pathways described by the caregivers interviewed, although some maps include both negative and positive pathways without a very clear distinction between positive and negative outcomes on income and nutrition.
The multiple sources of evidence considered and inclusion of a validation workshop with key stakeholders provide very clear and contextualised evidence for recommendations on future changes and potential scaleability.
Reading this report reminded me strongly of the recent mid-term qualitative evaluation conducted by Tabitha Horsfall and myself for Save the Children and Give Directly in Malawi of a programme with a similar design; cash transfers combined with complementary training and support services for parents. There are similarities in key findings, including positive outcomes of training and additional resources on child nutrition and interaction in mother’s support groups, as well as the need for cash transfers to keep up with inflation to be meaningful and impactful on families, and further work needed on engagement of male spouses in nutrition and positive parenting activities.
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