Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Social Assitance Programs On Poverty Reduction In A Post-Tsunami Reconstruction Region : A Case Study Of Gayo Lues District, Aceh

Abstract

This study evaluates the effectiveness of government social assistance programs — the Family Hope Program (Program Keluarga Harapan/PKH), the Non-Cash Food Assistance (Bantuan Pangan Non-Tunai/BPNT), and the Village Fund Direct Cash Assistance (BLT Dana Desa) — in reducing poverty in Gayo Lues District, a highland district of Aceh Province that falls within the province-wide post-tsunami reconstruction and poverty-alleviation mandate established after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Using a descriptive quantitative approach, the study combines a fourteen-year (2010–2024) secondary time-series analysis of district poverty indicators published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) with a cross-sectional assessment of beneficiary-perceived program effectiveness. Findings indicate that the poverty rate in Gayo Lues declined from 19.09 percent in 2010 to 17.93 percent in 2024, following a temporary rise to 19.91 percent in 2017 that coincided with falling coffee commodity prices and limited off-farm employment opportunities. The subsequent downward trend corresponds with the expansion of PKH and BPNT coverage after 2018 and the introduction of BLT Dana Desa. Beneficiary assessments suggest that the programs are perceived as moderately effective, with the strongest perceived impact on household welfare and comparatively weaker performance in benefit adequacy. The study concludes that social assistance programs have contributed to poverty reduction in Gayo Lues but that structural factors — commodity dependence, geographic isolation, and limited economic diversification — continue to constrain the programs' long-term impact. Strengthening targeting accuracy, benefit adequacy, and complementary livelihood support is recommended.