Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition

The Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition study is a partnership between the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The overarching goal of the Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition study is to review the evidence and propose an analytical and operational framework. The study seeks to strengthen the positive impacts of social protection interventions in the Western and Central African region on nutritional outcomes, by building a robust evidence-base focused on ‘what works’, ‘how’ and ‘why’, to contribute to enhanced wellbeing in the region. It draws evidence and learning and proposes policy and programmatic pathways in the contexts of Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, and Nigeria.

One of the objectives of the study is to unpack the impact pathways by jointly exploring design and implementation features of different social protection instruments and to identify barriers and enablers that hinder or facilitate positive nutritional outcomes in the short to long run. The case studies will contribute to explore the social protection pathways and their constraints, strengths, and challenges in relation to nutrition or food security.