Social Protection amid a Crisis: New Evidence from South Africa's Older Person's Grant.

This article examines the impact of South Africa's Older Person's Grant, an unconditional cash-transfer program for individuals aged 60 and above, on household well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using household-level data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), and the Coronavirus Rapid Mobile (CRAM) survey, the study employs a local randomization regression discontinuity design leveraging the age-eligibility threshold to estimate causal effects. Findings indicate that prior to the pandemic, grant receipt significantly improved economic well-being and reduced adult hunger, while during the first 18 months of the pandemic, these effects were larger, including substantial reductions in adult and child hunger and psychological distress, especially among more vulnerable households and during strict lockdown periods. The study highlights the program's role as a critical social safety net mitigating food insecurity and psychological distress amid a major global health crisis, offering insights relevant for social protection policy in low- and middle-income countries and beyond.