What Role for Safety Net Transfers in Very Low Income Countries?
In countries where large parts of the population live in absolute poverty, the need for social safety nets may be greatest, but the capacity to fund and administer them can be severely constrained. What role can social safety net programs play in v...
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/01/6240251/role-safety-net-transfers-very-low-income-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11816 |
| Summary: | In countries where large parts of the
population live in absolute poverty, the need for social
safety nets may be greatest, but the capacity to fund and
administer them can be severely constrained. What role can
social safety net programs play in very low income countries
(VLICs)? Three major challenges must be faced when deciding
what programs would be feasible in a VLIC: Availability of
information; Administrative capacity; and, Affordability.
Some special considerations of certain types of
interventions apply in the specific context of VLICs: Cash
transfers; Food and nutrition programs; and, Agricultural
inputs. Given the need to strike a balance between
investments for growth and transfers - both compete for
scarce public resources - it may be helpful to follow these
steps when deciding on the type and scope of social safety
net programs: Re-examine the main constraints to growth and
the role of public investment policy; Conduct a
vulnerability assessment and identify the main risks
confronting poor people; and, Identify policy interventions
that have a potential both for reducing vulnerability and
for enhancing growth prospects. |
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