Palestine
With a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita under USD 3,000, Palestine’s economy has been poor. Over 50% of the population in Gaza lives in poverty and over 40 percent are unemployed. Inequality between the West Bank and Gaza is stark. Most of the poorest of the poor in Palestine reside in Gaza. The Palestinian National Cash Transfer Program (PNCTP) was implemented in 2010 by the state’s Ministry of Social Development (MoSD). The cash-transfer scheme is a means-tested program, prioritizing “extremely poor” and “vulnerable” households. Funded by the Palestinian Authority (PA) as well as key donors such as the European Union and the World Bank, the PNCTP in 2017 provided cash transfers to nearly 110,000 poor and vulnerable households, an increase from about 94,000 in 2011. A 2012 World Bank study estimates that 84 percent of beneficiaries were from the lowest income quintile and that 70 percent were among the poorest 10 percent of the population.
RESEARCHERS
Kyle Jaques
Kyle Jacques is a recent graduate of the Master of Global Affairs program at the University of Toronto. As part of the 2017-2018 Reach Project cohort, Kyle researched the Palestinian National Cash Transfer Programme, focusing on its beneficiary targeting mechanisms. Prior to this, Kyle traveled to Quito, Ecuador to research oil extraction in the Amazon rainforest, and later to Abuja, Nigeria to research police and justice sector reforms in collaboration with the Rule of Law Advisor to the Vice President. In 2017, Kyle worked as an Intern at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Joudy Sarraj
Joudy is a fourth year student double majoring in International Relations and Ethics. She previously conducted policy research on humanitarian aid innovation and cash transfers at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. She is currently a Junior Fellow at the Canadian International Council. Joudy was part of the Reach Project team studying the Palestinian cash transfer program.
Clara Ban Kim
Sambhavi Mano
Saambavi Mano completed her Hon. B.A. in Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies and she is currently pursuing a Juris Doctorate at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She is a member of the Reach team researching the Palestinian National Cash Transfer Program. In addition to her work with the Reach Project, Saambavi conducted research on Sri Lanka’s Office on Missing Persons Act as a Jackman Humanities Undergraduate Fellow and wrote a senior thesis on innovative repatriation claims for contentious cultural property.
