Impact Evaluation of the Transition from Rastra to BPNT: Preliminary Findings

Indonesia is in the process of transforming a social assistance program, previously known as Rastra, which reaches more than 15 million beneficiaries. J-PAL affiliated researchers, in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia, conducted a randomized evaluation to aid this transition and measure the program’s impact. Join us to learn more about the results of the evaluation and its significance for policymakers.

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The transformation of Rastra, Indonesia’s targeted social assistance program to a non-cash food assistance program, or BPNT, may be the biggest reform the country has conducted in 20 years. Under BPNT, beneficiary households will no longer receive assistance in the form of rice. Instead, they will be given an electronic voucher worth IDR 110.000, which they can use to redeem for rice and eggs.

As Rastra covers more than 15 million beneficiaries, ensuring the smooth transition from Rastra to BPNT is crucial. To aid this transition, J-PAL affiliated researchers collaborated with the Government of Indonesia to conduct a randomized evaluation in 105 districts. The objective of the evaluation was to identify the impact of the new program on beneficiaries targeting, poverty reduction, household consumption decisions, the value and quality of rice, and the administrative costs of delivering the program.

Join Maliki, Elan Satriawan, Sudarno Sumarto, Rema Hanna, and Ben Olken as they delve more into the result of the evaluation. Panelists will also discuss how the result of the evaluation can be used to inform policymakers. 

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Keynote Speakers

Tb. A. Choesni
Deputy Ministry for Social Welfare Improvement, Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Kemenko PMK)

Asep Sasa Purnama
Director General for Poverty Handling, Ministry of Social Affairs (Kementerian Sosial)

Vivi Yulaswati
Senior Advisor to the Minister of Development Planning for Social Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bappenas

Ryan Washburn
Mission Director, USAID

Simon Ernst
Counsellor, Development Effectiveness, Australian Embassy Jakarta

Panelists

Maliki 
Director for Poverty Alleviation and Community Empowerment at Bappenas

Elan Satriawan
Chief of Policy Team at TNP2K, Senior Lecturer at FEB UGM

Sudarno Sumarto
Senior Research Fellow at the SMERU Research Institute and Policy Adviser at TNP2K

Rema Hanna
Jeffrey Cheah Professor of South-East Asia Studies, Harvard Kennedy School

Benjamin A. Olken
Jane Berkowitz Carlton and Dennis William Carlton Professor of Microeconomics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Moderator

Adelia Surya Pratiwi
Head of Public Communications Strategy and Management Subdivision at the Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF)