‘Crowding in’ care, security and micro‐enterprise formation: revisiting the role of the state in poverty reduction and in development

A central issue for both economic and social policies aimed at addressing poverty is the appropriate role of the state, and the interaction between public and private measures of support. One tradition in economics has been concerned that public spending will ‘crowd out’ private savings and private pension provision. The substantial South African programme of state assistance to elderly people presents a unique opportunity to understand the impact of state intervention. The non‐contributory old age pension raises household incomes, and ‘crowds in’ care of the elderly and of children, enhances household security, and stimulates the formation of very small businesses, as well as local markets. The positive performance of this programme, both in poverty reduction and as a development tool, is used to raise broader questions for international social policies which are designed on increasingly outdated notions of ‘households’ and of ‘work’.