If Part 1 asked whether the Family Card is universal or targeted, Part 2 asks a harder question: If it is targeted — even partially — how would eligibility actually be determined?
In public debate, targeting sounds simple: "Give it to the poor." In practice, it is anything but. Identifying poor households requires data, criteria, and a process that is both accurate and accepted by the public.
This article examines the pilot phase of the Family Card programme, considering what existing data sources — the National Household Database, poverty maps, and proxy means testing — can and cannot tell us about who should qualify.
The piece explores the risks of exclusion errors — households that are poor but missed by the targeting mechanism — and inclusion errors — households that receive benefits they do not need. It argues that the success of targeting depends less on the method chosen and more on the governance, transparency, and grievance mechanisms that surround it.
Drawing on field experience and international evidence, the article concludes that targeting is not a one-off exercise but a continuous process of identification, verification, and adjustment.