Assessing the Multidimensional Impact of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) on Poverty Alleviation and Women's Empowerment in District Narowal, Punjab: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

This study provides a comprehensive, localized assessment of the impact of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) on multidimensional poverty alleviation in District Narowal, Punjab. Employing a convergent mixed-methods design, the research integrates quantitative data from a household survey (n=560) with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews (n=48) and focus group discussions (n=12). The analysis evaluates impacts across economic welfare, human capital development, and social empowerment. Quantitative results, derived from Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) models, confirm a statistically significant positive effect on household food security but reveal limited to non-significant impacts on productive asset accumulation, secondary school enrollment, and preventive healthcare. Qualitative findings elucidate that while the unconditional cash transfer provides a critical lifeline for daily subsistence and fosters tangible improvements in women's intra-household decision-making a form of instrumental empowerment its transformative potential is severely constrained. Key structural barriers include a static transfer value eroded by chronic inflation, unpredictable payment cycles that perpetuate debt, the absence of complementary livelihood support, and deeply embedded socio-cultural norms. The study concludes that BISP functions effectively as a consumption-smoothing mechanism in Narowal but remains structurally disconnected from fostering sustainable poverty escapes. Policy recommendations urgently advocate for the indexation of the cash transfer to inflation, the design of a targeted "BISP-Plus" graduation model integrating asset grants and coaching, systemic reforms to ensure payment predictability, and the creation of formal linkages with provincial health, education, and agriculture departments to build a synergistic poverty reduction ecosystem.