Targeting in Practice: A Review of Existing Mechanisms for Beneficiary Selection in the Democratic Republic of Congo

This article presents a field‐based review of existing mechanisms in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for targeting poor households as beneficiaries of social programs. We surveyed 69 programs from diverse organizations in five regions of the DRC. Our approach is in contrast with the existing targeting literature that focuses on single public programs or cross‐country evidence. We find that targeting is diverse, mostly ad hoc, and relies heavily on categorical targeting or limited community‐based selection, with the exception of humanitarian organizations in the eastern regions. We suggest a way forward for implementing a national targeting strategy in the DRC. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.