Academic research institutions, policy makers and donor agencies are increasingly aware of the need for social protection mechanisms to reach the poorest people who remain untouched by current poverty-reduction programmes.

Evidence from countries implementing non-contributory social pension schemes such as Brazil, Namibia and South Africa, shows that:

• pension income is shared with the older people's families
• pension spending supports children's health and education
• social development funds that target older people support the poorest households and communities.

Current research projects

Cash transfers in Africa

HelpAge International and Save the Children UK, supported by funding from UNICEF, are working together to study cash-transfer programmes in East and Southern Africa. The study will gather information on cash-transfer programmes, including social pensions, that can benefit children affected by HIV/AIDS and their carers, who are often older people. The findings will inform donor-agency social-protection programmes. Contact the research and policy team.

Urban poverty in Bolivia

Preliminary findings from a PhD-study we supported in Bolivia show widespread chronic poverty among urban older people. Social protection is poor and there is no state support, which means that the majority of older people continue to rely on family networks (principally children) as their main source of support. Nonetheless, most older people try to avoid becoming dependent by keeping up a range of activities in their old age. These include working until they are very old, frequently in low-paid and demeaning jobs, as well as maintaining active family and social networks which are likely to provide reciprocal support. Contact the research and policy team.

Impact of pensions in Lesotho

The Institute of Southern African Studies, at the National University of Lesotho, is to conduct a pilot study of the impact of the old-age pensions in Lesotho.The study will be funded jointly by the university and HelpAge International. In November 2004, the Lesotho Government introduced a universal pension of M150 (US$22) a month to all of its citizens aged 70 or over. The pension represents around 1% of national income, 3% of government expenditure and 44% of the health and social-welfare budget. The study, in the Roma Valley, will consider the short-term effects of the pension on the wellbeing of older people, the changes in relationships within and between households, and how the pension affects older carers ability to care for dependent orphans and vulnerable children. Contact the research and policy team.

Data for national policy in Zambia

This study, funded by the World Health Organization, will identify the livelihood strategies, needs and contributions of older people, their access to health services, and their role as carers in the context of HIV/AIDS. The study will contribute to a national policy on ageing. Contact the Africa Regional Development Centre.

Future research

1. From January 2008, HelpAge International will work with a team of researchers from Brazil, South Africa and the UK over 36 months to illustrate how the capacity of people to actively age drives social and economic development. The research questions will examine the effects of individual ageing on the households of older people, on intergenerational relations, and identify those social conditions and structures which support active ageing. The study will return to households studied five years ago in Brazil and South Africa to support a longitudinal analysis of older people, their households and the dynamics of well-being, capability and ageing.

2. An 18-month research project supported by the ECRC and the New Dynamics of Ageing will explore the livelihoods of older urban poor in Chennai, Tamil Nadu India and the impact they have on intergenerational relationships. The research will seek to understand the forces and processes which shape the capacity of Chennai’s older urban poor to be self supporting and access family, market and state resources – such as the old age pension – to improve standards of living.

3. Discussions with representatives of the Government of Nepal and a local NGO have highlighted interest in assessing the impact of the old-age pension on Nepali beneficiaries. As a result, HelpAge International hopes to undertake a longitudinal study of the pension to assess the impact of pension payments on the material and psychological well-being of older Nepalese men and women, and their families. Currently, there is no evidence exploring these impacts. The intended research aims to explore how a regular and predictable cash transfer reduces the vulnerability of very poor older people and thus contributes to reducing poverty.

HelpAge International anticipates carrying out additional research into social protection for older people, looking at:

• What formal social-pension and cash-transfer schemes exist, how are they funded and administered, what is their cost and coverage, how well do they target older people, and what impact do they have?
• What are the social, economic and political processes that have led to the introduction and maintenance of old-age pension schemes in poor countries?
• What informal social protection schemes exist in poor communities, what is their coverage, who do they target and what impact do they have?