Who gets what? Budgets and discretion in community-led social protection targeting

Key takeaways

• An experiment in 180 Ethiopian communities tested how local leaders allocate social assistance. Researchers varied budgets and targeting rules to see who received support and how funds were distributed.
• When budgets were cut, leaders reduced payment size rather than coverage. Most households still received assistance, but transfer amounts fell sharply as leaders spread limited funds more widely.
• Giving leaders more discretion improved targeting. Flexible selection criteria helped them reach poorer and conflict-affected households that fixed rules were more likely to miss.