The level of the transfer is a critical factor. In PWPs, wages are often kept low because of perceived concerns about “handouts” and disruptions to local agricultural casual labour markets and rates (McCord, 2013). Jalan and Ravallion (2003, cited in McCord, 2013) find that in the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme (MEGS), taking the forgone wage labour opportunities into account, the net value of the wage decreases to half of the gross wage. Evidence from the PSNP demonstrates that it can protect food security and asset levels in the presence of repeated shocks. In Ethiopia, households living in areas that experienced a minimum of two droughts but that also received PSNP payments for two or more years were able to maintain their existing levels of food consumption (HLPE, 2012).