Public Policy and Poverty Alleviation in Imo State: An Evaluation of Social Investment Programmes

This study evaluates the effectiveness of selected social investment programmes as tools for poverty alleviation in Imo State, located in Nigeria's South East geopolitical zone. Despite the rollout of federal and state-level programmes such as the TraderMoni scheme and the State Social Intervention Programme, poverty levels in the state remain persistently high, raising questions about programme design and targeting effectiveness. The study employs a descriptive survey design, administering questionnaires to 290 beneficiaries, programme administrators, and community leaders across four local government areas. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis are used to assess programme impact and identify determinants of beneficiary welfare outcomes. The Social Protection Theory provides the theoretical grounding, emphasising that effective poverty intervention requires adequate targeting, adequate benefit levels, and robust monitoring systems. Findings indicate that political considerations rather than need-based criteria drive beneficiary selection, significantly reducing programme impact. Inadequate benefit amounts and irregular disbursements also undermine long-term poverty reduction outcomes. The study recommends the introduction of social registries to improve targeting, indexed benefit amounts linked to inflation, and independent third-party programme evaluations. The findings are directly relevant to ongoing policy debates about the efficiency and equity of Nigeria's social protection architecture. Keywords: public policy, poverty alleviation, Imo State, social investment, social protection.