Stigma Paradox and Welfare Rights Claiming

Abstract

The issue of stigma has long been a central topic of discussion regarding the low uptake rate of targeted welfare programs. However, empirical evidence examining this claim within Global South countries remains scarce, particularly in Indonesia. Our study employed a qualitative approach, utilizing data from 33 interviews conducted in two areas with high poverty rates, evaluating the extent of institutionalized stigma that deters individuals from claiming Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT/PKH) benefits. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, our study found no clear link between stigma and the uptake of CCT/PKH programs. We found that the direct experiences of the interviewee with the repeated mistargeting of CCT distribution in sites under examination have eroded the significance of stigma, leading to unashamed claims by beneficiaries, regardless of their eligibility. Furthermore, our research unveiled that the CCT/PKH distribution is not merely an institutional process; it is highly interdependent, influenced by complex personalized meanings among beneficiaries with diverse goals. For example, some beneficiaries use the CCT as collateral to access loans from informal financial institutions, while others use it for socio-cultural purposes. This research contributes to the social policy literature by emphasizing the dysfunction of institutionalized stigma in affecting the decisions of (non-)eligible individuals to access welfare benefits.

Keywords:

• stigma
• conditional cash transfer
• social policy
• Indonesia
• Global South

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tauchid Komara Yuda

Tauchid Komara Yuda is a faculty member at the Department of Social Development and Welfare, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia, and concurrently a social policy research fellow at Sociology & Social Policy, Lingnan University, Hong Kong SAR. His research expertise is in policies and politics of the welfare state and social innovation with reference to Indonesia and Democratic Middle-Income Countries (DMICs).

Habibullah Habibullah

Habibullah Habibullah is a senior researcher at the Research Center for Social Welfare, Village and Connectivity, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia. His research expertise is in poverty, social protection, social policy and community development. Among his recent publications are Institutionalized Social Entrepreneurship in Indonesia: A Report on the Challenges of State-driven Social Entrepreneurship Promotion within the Five Cities' Social Assistance Program (Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 2023).

Nurhadi Nurhadi

Nurhadi Nurhadi is a faculty member at the department of social development and welfare, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia. His research expertise is in poverty and social protection and child and family policy with reference to Southeast Asian (SEA) Countries. Among his recent publications is Changing Welfare Solidarity: Social Policy and Solidarity Ventures During COVID-19 Outbreak in Indonesia (Journal of Asian Public Policy, 2023).