Meet our guests: 🎙️ Rema Hanna, Jeffrey Cheah Professor of Southeast-Asia Studies, Harvard Kennedy School 🎙️ Tia Palermo @tiapalermo.bsky.social, President at @prestopolicy.bsky.social ▶️ Tune in: tinyurl.com/SPpodcast54 📩 Subscribe to stay updated: bit.ly/SPpodcastList

Over two episodes, we will run down some commonly held views and misperceptions about social protection. We’ll review the evidence for and against, with the purpose of debunking ‘myths’ where appropriate. Listen now to Part 1: tinyurl.com/SPpodcast54 +

Is social protection just a handout? Does it discourage work? Or are the systems plagued by fraud? In this episode, we unpack some of the biggest myths surrounding social protection systems and explore the real data behind the rhetoric. +

🎙️ 🎧 New #SPpodcast Episode – Listen now to “Social Protection Myths and Misperceptions Part 1”: tinyurl.com/SPpodcast54 ▶️🎧+

Check out the new @socialprotection.org podcast episode featuring PRESTO’s @tiapalermo.bsky.social! 🎧 Listen here: socialprotection.org/learn/podcas...

We enjoyed the past several weeks in São Tomé and Príncipe co-leading data collection training and fieldwork observation for a study about child health and well-being. This project is a collaboration with Instituto Nacional de Estatística, @gpforeducation.bsky.social @unicef.org and The World Bank.

Last month, PRESTO’s Tia Palermo co-facilitated an impact evaluation training at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) in Kenya, as part of American Institutes for Research’s P3-Africa training and mentoring program.

We’re thrilled to announce that Policy Research Solutions LLC (PRESTO) is now certified by New York State as a women-owned business! We are proud to be a women-led organization with a strong track record in policy research, evaluation, survey design, data analysis, and capacity development.

Today Dr. Monica Kauky, University of Dar es Salaam, presented at the 2025 Economic Science Association Africa regional conference in Nairobi.

Kicking off an exciting week at the 2025 Africa Evidence Summit! Dr. Dickson Wandeda (University of Nairobi) presented long-term impacts of Ghana’s LEAP 1000 cash transfer on insurance uptake, morbidity & health seeking. #AES2025 #cashtransfers #TransferProject

🚨 Join us TOMORROW 5 June for the #SPorgWebinar ‘Myth vs. Reality: The Impact of Cash Transfers on Gender Equality in Africa.’ 🕛 5 June, 2025- 8:00 GMT-4 (EST) 🔗Register:  socialprotection.org/learn/webina...

(1/2) We’ve enjoyed a productive spring so far! ⭐ A key highlight: Last month Dickson Wandeda and @tiapalermo.bsky.social presented at NYU’s Cash Transfer Lab on the long-term impacts of Ghana’s LEAP 1000 cash transfer program on health and insurance uptake.

Mark your calendars! Join PRESTO next week on June 5th as we team up with UNICEF to bust myths on gender and cash transfers in Africa. Register here: tinyurl.com/2hay2nmh #cashtransfers #genderequality #socialprotection #SPorgWebinar #Africa @socialprotection.org

PRESTO enjoyed our week in Nairobi collaborating with the @unicef.org Kenya social policy & communications teams! #ForEveryChild

In a recent review, we examined 27 published studies that estimated the effect of social safety net programs on child maltreatment.16 of the studies found protective effects. Read more on our blog: www.policyresearchsolutions.com/post/social-...

PRESTO sends a bittersweet farewell to our valued team member, Kate Caisley! Kate has been instrumental to the success of many projects, and we wish her the best in her new endeavor.

It was an inspiring week in Cotonou, Benin, collaborating with the @unicef.org Bénin team! We had co-creation sessions where UNICEF’s social policy and communications teams demonstrated the value of cross-sector teamwork. #SocialProtection #UNICEF #Benin #ForEveryChild

"Policies that address poverty can have positive spillover effects on broader outcomes." Check out a new Public Health Post article about a study led by PRESTO researcher @tiapalermo.bsky.social with University at Buffalo collaborators: publichealthpost.org/health-equit...

Today, we honor and celebrate women around the world. We're proud to contribute to the evidence base for women's well-being and gender equality. Check out some of our research here: www.policyresearchsolutions.com/projects #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction

#6 The final post in our myths on gender and cash transfers in Africa series: Will cash transfers reduce women’s incentives to work and encourage dependency on benefits? Read more: transfer.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/u...

#5 in our myths on gender and cash transfers in Africa series: Will cash transfers directed to women create conflict in the household and increase intimate partner violence? Read more: transfer.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/u...

#4 in our myths on gender and cash transfers in Africa series: Does providing cash transfers to women not really empower them, as men will still control how the cash is spent? Read more: transfer.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/u...

#3 in our myths on gender and cash transfers in Africa series: Do cash transfers, particularly those targeted to households with young children, increase pregnancies and fertility? Read more: transfer.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/u...

#2 in our myths on gender and cash transfers in Africa series: Is designating women to receive cash transfers on behalf of a household essential to ensuring positive outcomes for families and children? Read more: transfer.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/u...

Follow along this week as we answer 6 questions related to myths about gender and cash transfers in Africa! #1: Will cash transfers designed with conditions result in larger improvements for women and girls? Read more: transfer.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/u...

(1/2) 🚨 New paper alert! PRESTO team members & co-authors found that, at 22-month post-intervention, a cash plus intervention targeted to adolescents in Tanzania had sustained impacts on: 1️⃣ Reducing self-perceived HIV risk among males and females and lifetime sexual violence risk among females and…

We were honored to participate in the Social Protection Inter-Agency Cooperation Board (SPIAC-B) high-level meeting on gender-responsive and inclusive social protection, hosted earlier this month in Lusaka!

Stunting and malnutrition remain significant problems in Tanzania. During baseline data collection for the Stawisha Maisha impact evaluation, mothers shared their challenges and worries. Check out the newly published baseline report & brief for more: policyresearchsolutions.com/projects#stawisha

(1/2) We’re excited to be participating in this week’s Social Protection Interagency Cooperation Board (SPIAC-B) Gender Working Group event in Zambia on gender-responsive and inclusive #socialprotection ⬇️

🎉As 2024 comes to an end, at PRESTO we are thankful for our collaborators, our clients, our energetic team, and the opportunity to do meaningful work that we are passionate about. Check out some of the highlights from the past year below. We look forward to even more impact in 2025!

PRESTO team members had a stimulating week at the United Nations, where various UN agencies (lead by @unicef.org and World Food Programme) came together to talk all things impact evaluation, with a focus on climate and fragility. Some points that really stuck to us at PRESTO were ⬇️

This week at the @unicef.org and World Food Programme Global Impact Evaluation Forum, we’re hearing from experts about the importance of #impactevaluations. ⬇️

We’re excited to be here at the United Nations for the @unicef.org & World Food Programme Global Impact Evaluation Forum! The week is already off to a great start with powerful speakers and meaningful insights. #Evidence4Impact

On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against #Women we stand with UN Women for accelerated progress to eliminate violence against women and girls. There is #NoExcuse. Read relevant research on #GBV from our PRESTO team & collaborators at the links below.