Labor-intensive public works programs are important
social protection tools in low-income settings, intended
to supplement income of poor households and improve
public infrastructure. In this evaluation of the Malawi
Social Action Fund, an at-scale, government-operated program,
across- and within-village randomization is used to
estimate effects on food security and use of fertilizer. There
is no evidence that the program improves food security, and
some negative spillovers to untreated households. These
disappointing results hold even under modifications to the
design of the program to offer work during the lean rather
than harvest season or increase the frequency of payments.