Social Safety Nets Primer
28 items available
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This series is intended to provide a practical resource for those engaged in the design and implementation of safety net programs around the world. Readers will find information on good practices for a variety of types of interventions, country contexts, themes and target groups, as well as current thinking on the role of social safety nets in the broader development agenda.
Items in this collection
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Publication
Systemic Shocks and Social Protection : The Role and Effectiveness of Public Works Programs
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-01)Public works programs have been an important safety net intervention in both developed and developing countries for many years. By providing temporary low-wage jobs to unskilled manual workers, income is transferred to poor households in a self-targeted manner while achieving useful projects such as road construction and maintenance, irrigation infrastructure, reforestation, and soil conservation. -
Publication
Public Attitudes Matter : Political Economy in the Design of Safety Nets Policies
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-01)It has long been recognized that political economy influences the design, implementation and outcome of safety nets, as well as other social programs, but there is no consensus about how to account for such concerns in policy decisions. This note draws on international public opinion surveys and other research to highlight some of the implications for the design of safety net policies. -
Publication
Assisting the Poor with Cash : Design and Implementation of Social Transfer Programs
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-01)Cash transfers can be defined as the provision of assistance in the form of cash to the poor or those who face a probable risk, in the absence of the transfer, of falling into poverty. Cash transfers, broadly defined, can be given in the form of social assistance, insurance, near-cash tax benefits, and private transfers. This note focuses on government programs, recognizing that private transfers and public programs serve multiple objectives, of which social safety net protection is just one. -
Publication
Impact Evaluation of Social Programs : A Policy Perspective
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-01)Governments and donor organizations increasingly recognize that rigorous evaluations of public interventions should be part of the social policy decision-making process. Yet there is frequently a gap between the desire for information on the effectiveness of programs and an understanding of the potential and the limitations of evaluation tools. This note reviews the basic elements of good impact evaluations, identifies some of the political economy aspects that influence whether they are conducted, and explores ways to encourage use of evaluation.