Determinants of Public Support for Social Protection in Ghana

In recent years, social protection reforms have gained significant traction, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. However, the dynamics shaping these reforms, including factors that influence public support or otherwise, remain relatively understudied. Focusing on Ghana, this book investigates the factors that influence citizen’s support for two key social protection initiatives: the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash transfer programme and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Using data from an attitudinal survey, the author finds that economic self-interest, poverty attribution beliefs, institutional trust, and knowledge are key determinants of public support for the LEAP cash transfer programme. However, in the case of the NHIS, public support is predominantly shaped by poverty attribution beliefs, trust, and knowledge alone. Collectively, these findings emphasize the importance of programme-specific factors in shaping public attitudes towards social protection. They also underscore the need for targeted policy interventions, particularly efforts to strengthen institutional trust and improve citizen awareness of these initiatives, in order to foster broader and more sustained support for social protection policies and programmes in Ghana.

• By (author) Callistus Akachabwon Agbaam