Effects of Social Assistance Management on Beneficiary Welfare Through Social Assistance Characteristics in Mimika Regency

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the influence of social assistance management and social assistance characteristics on the welfare of beneficiaries, both partially and simultaneously, in Kamoro Jaya Village, Wania District, Mimika Regency, Central Papua Province.

Research Methodology: A quantitative path analysis was conducted using data from 40 purposively selected Family Hope Program (PKH) beneficiaries. Data were collected through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS and the Sobel Test.

Results: Social Assistance Management significantly improved Social Assistance Characteristics (β = 0.750, p < 0.001). However, it had no significant direct effect on Beneficiary Welfare (β = 0.087, p = 0.245). Social Assistance Characteristics had a strong positive effect on Beneficiary Welfare (β = 0.889, p < 0.001). The Sobel test confirmed full mediation (t = 6.059, p < 0.001), indicating that management quality affects welfare only through Social Assistance Characteristics.

Conclusions: Social Assistance Characteristics, particularly targeting accuracy, timeliness, and adequacy of aid, are the primary determinants of beneficiary welfare. These characteristics fully mediate the relationship between social assistance management and welfare outcomes, highlighting the importance of improving assistance delivery quality to achieve better welfare impacts.

Limitations: The study was limited to 40 PKH beneficiaries in a single village and employed a cross-sectional design. The analysis focused exclusively on the PKH program and did not include other social assistance schemes such as BPNT or BST.

Contributions: This study provides empirical evidence that social assistance characteristics fully mediate the relationship between social assistance management and beneficiary welfare in Mimika Regency.