“The paper begins with a brief description of the broader context of vulnerability and poverty experienced in post-apartheid migrant networks. This is followed by a brief summary of what the case studies revealed about the informal social protection systems used by the poor and marginalised. The paper then proceeds to present two detailed descriptions and two shorter vignettes to illistrate how households make use of social grants and transfers. Next the broader discussion situates the case-study description within a wider context and illustrates how grant expenditure decisions are shaped by livelihood opportunities and the undelying strategeis and arrangements of informal social protection. The paper reviews the diverse outcomes and options open to households and individuals and concludes with general remarks on how the role of social grants within the informal social protection ought to be conceptualised.”
