Cost-effectiveness analysis of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia Programme, with a focus on children and adolescents, Consultant, Brazil

Contract

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Background & Rationale

Cash transfers have expanded dramatically in the last two decades, becoming key tools for social protection and to decrease poverty rates in developing countries all over the world. Such developments have to a large degree been fueled by evidence drawn mostly from conditional cash transfer models in Latin America, including the Brazilian Bolsa Familia Programme (BFP) – the largest cash transfer programme in the world in terms numbers of beneficiaries. Research shows that cash transfers decrease poverty, inequality and food insecurity.

In line with the 2030 sustainable development agenda and within the scope of the overall UNICEF Social Policy framework of the UNICEF Strategic Plan (2018-21), Social Protection forms part of the efforts to reduce child poverty and discrimination so that no child is left behind. Together with partners, UNICEF strives to level the playing field for disadvantaged girls and boys and support their full participation in society and ensure they have their fundamental human rights fulfilled and respected.

Brazil has in recent years made important gains in relation to the rights of children and adolescents. It was the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to translate the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) into national legislation. The enactment of the Child and Adolescent Statute in 1990 was a milestone in the recognition of children's rights as human rights. Brazil then created public and social policies that helped millions of children and adolescents escape poverty, obtain an education and benefit from health services resulting in an impressive drop in infant mortality. The Bolsa Familia programme is a central component of these developments, ensuring a minimum essential income for 13.2 million Brazilian families (or 41 million individuals) who live in situation of socioeconomic vulnerabilities.

Although progress has been evident along the years, Brazil still has challenges to overcome as to guarantee that all the nearly 60 million Brazilian children and adolescents have their basic needs met and fundamental human rights fulfilled.

To cope with these challenges, further investments are required in quality social policies and programmes, capable of reaching all children and all adolescents, especially the most excluded and vulnerable.

In support of such agenda and as part of the current Brazil Country Programme (2016-21), and aligned with UNICEF’s interest in supporting country-led evaluations, UNICEF Brazil Country Office (BCO) is working closely with the Government to support evidence generation, data monitoring and evaluations, which in turn allow for monitoring of progresses and challenges in the country and help inform child-oriented policies and programmes as well as adequate corresponding budget allocations.

In 2019, and to further advance on this agenda, UNICEF Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Special Secretariat of Finance of the Ministry of Economy. This MoU aims to strengthen the production, analysis and dissemination of evaluations and studies related to childhood and adolescence. It also aims to establish a framework for mutual cooperation and facilitate the collaboration and knowledge exchange between UNICEF and the Special Secretariat of Finance. This cooperation is established with the Secretariat for Public Policy Evaluation, Planning, Energy and Lottery (SECAP), which is responsible to plan and conduct evaluations of federal public policies and programmes.

It is within the framework of this MoU, and with the objective to advance with an evidence-based agenda for children in Brazil, that UNICEF is seeking to hire a consultant to support the development of a cost-effectiveness analysis of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia Programme with a focus on children and adolescents. This analysis will be coordinated by Brazilian national Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), under the overall leadership of the Secretary of Public Policy Evaluations, Planning, Energy and Lottery (SECAP) of the Ministry of Economy.

Purpose

More than 16 years after its creation, the Bolsa Familia programme is today one of the most evaluated programmes in the country. Although there is a wide range of evidence on the effects of the programme in many areas, including child rights, Brazil’s current socioeconomic situation calls for further evidence to help inform future adaptations of the programme design to ensure that it brings more efficient, effective and sustainable results for children and their families, especially the most vulnerable.

The Government of Brazil has therefore decided to proceed with the evaluation of Brazil’s public policy regarding Direct Cash Transfers to Families in Poverty and Extreme Poverty, with focus on the Bolsa Familia programme, as officially established through Law nº 10.836, of 2004, and managed the Ministry of Citizenship.

The overall purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical support throughout the evaluation of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia programme - and more specifically to a cost-effectiveness analysis of the programme - from a child-rights perspective, especially with regards to those components that are directly related to UNICEF’s mandate. This cost effectiveness analysis could be used to compare completed or potential courses of actions.

Cost-effectiveness is the cost of achieving intended programme actual outcomes (or impacts). This can be used to compare the costs of alternative ways of producing the same or similar outcomes.

This cost -effectiveness analysis could also help respond the following questions:

• When and where is the BFP targeting the poorest families and those further left behind? Where not and why?
• How cost-effective is the BFP? Where is it most effective? Where is it less effective? And Why?
• Which alternatives provide the best approach to achieving benefits while preserving savings when targeting multiple deprivations in low-income children and adolescents?

Expected results: (measurable results)

SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound

The main expected result is a cost-effectiveness analysis of the Bolsa Família Programme in Brazil with a specific focus on children and adolescents. This will be organized in a series of three reports, each consisting of a different deliverable that will be produced by the consultant.

DELIVERABLES

Deliverable 01: Report describing systematic review and meta-analysis results on the impact of Bolsa Família Programme, reviewing its impacts on health, education, work and poverty, among others, with a focus on children and adolescents.

Duration (Estimated # of Days): 30 days

Deadline: December 2nd, 2020

Amount: 20%

Deliverable 02: Report describing costs (administrative and transfers) by beneficiaries and groups of Bolsa Família beneficiaries. This report should use the ingredients method, specifying, among others, the costs of registration activities, selection of beneficiaries, monitoring of conditionalities and referral to services of social assistance, with details of resources (human, costs, material, equipment, etc.) and unit values of each resource by region and grouping of municipalities, reflecting the resources invested by the Federal Government and those financed by the state and municipal budgets.

Duration (Estimated # of Days): 60 days

Deadline: February 2nd, 2021

Amount: 40%

Deliverable 03:

Report describing the cost-effectiveness of Bolsa Família for different regions, grouping of municipalities and age groups, focusing on children and adolescents, based on the longitudinal monitoring of a group of families that joined the program at a certain point in time, building upon the results obtained previously from the meta-analysis of the literature, the cost analysis conducted and the number of service calls and benefits received observed in the families.

Duration (Estimated # of Days): 60 days

Deadline: April 2nd, 2021

Amount: 40%

The selected consultant will be at the Institute for Applied Economic Research - IPEA, in Brasilia, and work directly with the IPEA team, coordinated by Dr. Fabio M. Vaz, and the Social Policy and Monitoring & Evaluation (SPM&E) team of the UNICEF Brazil Country Office (BCO), reporting to the Chief SPM&E and M&E Specialist. No travel is foreseen for the assignment.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Drive for results
• Ability to produce high quality analysis
• Ability to work in a team
• Ability to effectively communicate

BACKGRIUND, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, economics or other humanities. Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) is considered an asset.

Work Experience:

Required:

• Minimum of five years of professional experience in the formulation, evaluation and monitoring of public policies.
• Experience in analysing economic, social and demographic information and its relationship with plans, policies, programs and actions aimed at or associated with the protection and wellbeing of vulnerable populations.
• Proven experience in writing texts and analytical reports, including topics related to educational, health and poverty impacts of public policies.

Desirable:

• Knowledge or experience in public budget and finance, especially programs and actions related to the financing of public policies for vulnerable populations.
• Knowledge or experience working with Brazilian administrative data, and official household surveys.

• Experience in teleworking and consulting by products.

  Languages:

Fluency in Portuguese. Fluency in English would be an asset.

GENERAL CONDITIONS: PROCEDURES AND LOGISTICS

• Expenses related to travels will not be covered by UNICEF and should be included in the Consultant’s fees.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the Consultant
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.

FINACIAL PROPOSAL

Costs indicated are estimated. Final rate shall follow “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.

A financial proposal including the fee for the assignment based on the deliverables and number of days must be submitted. Consultants and individual contractors are asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

RESTRICTIONS

In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government, or unless on leave without pay.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious and ethnic backgrounds, representing the diversity of Brazil, such as black and indigenous people, to apply to become a part of our organization. Candidates will be equally considered regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, social and HIV/aids status.