Enhancing Women’s Economic Empowerment Through Digital Cash Transfers: What Do We Learn from the Digitize/Direct/Design (D3) Criteria in the Case of Benazir Income Support Program in Pakistan?

This report presents an assessment of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) using the Digitize, Direct and Design Assessment (D3) principles developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The D3 criteria hypothesize that the economic empowerment effects of social safety net programs can be amplified for women when they are designed through a "gender-intentional" lens and the transfers are delivered directly and digitally into women’s accounts. A well-designed program can increase women's’ control over personal finance and enhance her prospects for economic empowerment.

The information presented is based on a combination of desk review of existing documents, analysis of available data, and selected primary interviews with stakeholders. The overall objective of this review is to highlight the key areas where BISP can be improved to advance the empowerment of women.