Pakistans flagship social safety net (SSN), the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), has been in the spotlight lately. On one hand is the relentless promotion of BISPs work by its competitive chairperson, Marvi Memon. And on the other hand, there is occasional furor just as earlier this month in the British press over anecdotal evidence detailing lapses in BISPs quarterly handout disbursements.
The launch of a refurbished BISP website last week should help provide more clarity on the scope of BISPs work and its impact thereof. The older version also had some useful information, but it was all over the place. The recent makeover removes the clutter and gives a better form to the content. The new website was, as has become a norm with other BISP events lately, extensively promoted in print media.
No one can deny the need for transparency on this $1.15 billion SSN, which serves about 5.4 million poor women beneficiaries. The information resources provided on the remodeled website, such as programme details, three impact evaluation reports and some research studies, will go some way in making more people aware of the impact BISP claims to have on poverty management and social welfare.
But we have three observations on the effort. One, the information repository is still inadequate. Browsing the website one can notice that BISP management has only placed those independent research studies on its website which, as per its M&E wing, have no bias element. Moreover, BISPs internal research department, the Social Policy Research Unit, has not made its output, if any, available online.
Second, the website can have better reach if it has an Urdu interface as well. We dont know how many among BISP beneficiaries go online, but surely an Urdu version wouldnt hurt. Those who can go online will have another objective source of information besides the BISP toll-free number and Sms.
In addition to that, more among general public can be educated on BISPs work if an Urdu version also exists. Right now, with an English version, the website seems solely targeted at the intelligentsia in this country and abroad, including donors and the media.
And three, BISP should try to steer clear of self-congratulations and educate people on the organisations impact in the right context. For instance, the latest BISP impact report suggests that BISP cash transfers are leading to drop in poverty and rise in school enrollment but it doesnt say how significant, high or low, those improvements are, especially in a regional context.
In the coming days, BR Research will analyse those findings and compare them to leading regional and global SSNs to provide a little bit of meaningful context to BISPs impact. (For an initial understanding of BISPs new database design and disbursement system, read our interview with the BISP chief, published on January 18, in the Brief Recordings section).