Perceptions of Beneficiaries of Informal Social Protection Initiatives in Uganda: An Exploratory Factor Analysis Approach

ABSTRACT Informal social protection interventions are instrumental in improving people's welfare through fostering income growth and enabling self‐sufficiency. Whereas the success of some informal social protection initiatives has been acknowledged and documented, there is limited knowledge of the factors influencing the performance of informal social protection initiatives, especially in developing countries like Uganda. In this study, we identify and isolate the perceived factors influencing the performance of informal social protection initiatives. We use exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 130 beneficiaries of two informal social protection interventions in the Alebtong and Kampala districts of Uganda. Findings reveal that the performance of informal social protection interventions is perceived to be influenced by three categories of factors, collectively accounting for 62.4% of the total dataset variance which is more than the threshold of 50%. The factors are beneficiary empowerment, welfare enhancement and coverage and equality. Each factor encompasses a cluster of variables that collectively capture the essential dimensions of individual perceptions concerning the effect of informal social protection initiatives. This research offers valuable insights into how the beneficiaries perceive informal social protection initiatives, shedding light on the nuanced factors contributing to their effectiveness in Uganda.