"Social Assistance and Remittances and Their Role in The Fight Against Poverty"

This thesis explores the role of social protection transfers and remittances in the fight against poverty, an objective pursued by governments around the world. Even though these transfers share many similarities, there is scant literature comparing them. Findings suggest that both remittances and social assistance transfers are spent on basic needs as well as on human capital goods, such as food and education. Moreover, these transfers improve food security, but they are not sufficient to reduce malnutrition. Finally, while remittances lead to improvements in subjective well-being, social assistance transfers have no effects or even negative effects on this dimension.