Publication: Reducing Vulnerability and Increasing Opportunity : Social Protection in the Middle East and North Africa
Loading...
Date
2002-01
ISSN
Published
2002-01
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Despite social, and economic diversity within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, social protection systems share common characteristics. This report develops a framework for a more integrated approach to social protection, and proposes general strategic lines of actions to guide the reform of social protection systems in the MENA region. It argues that, while during the 1970s and 1980s, economic growth rates outweighed growth rates in other regions, and social indicators improved dramatically, the model of development was not sustainable. It further, discusses key features, and major weaknesses of the social protection systems in the MENA countries, by defining an alternative framework for social protection. However, it also argues that traditional social protection schemes, cannot constitute the sole mechanism to protect vulnerable population groups, help the poor, or increase social welfare. Actions outside the traditional social protection system, suggest promoting prudent macroeconomic management, improving governance, rethinking regulatory institutions, and reforming education, and health systems. Concurrently, actions within the traditional social protection system, include improvements in the financial sustainability of social insurance systems, reforming training systems, and designing safety nets as developmental, and community-based, not just assistance, and centrally administered schemes.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2002. Reducing Vulnerability and Increasing Opportunity : Social Protection in the Middle East and North Africa. Orientations in Development series;. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14255 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Colombia : Social Safety Net Assessment(Washington, DC, 2002-08)The recent economic shock provided an incentive for carrying out the analysis of Colombia's safety net of national social assistance. Even though economic growth recovered modestly in 2000, poverty and unemployment remain high, and there has been a decline in some human development indicators. This is partly due to Colombia not having an effective safety net in place, capable to address the social consequences of the crisis. These deficiencies led to the introduction in 2000 of the Red de Apoyo Social (RAS), i.e., Social Support Network. This assessment identifies issues, and recommends options for reform of the social safety net. The country is undergoing an unprecedented economic contraction, and severe fiscal imbalance that will require major reforms, notably to the pension program, before achieving macroeconomic stabilization. Therefore, the report takes into account the complex, and changing socioeconomic conditions, exacerbated by the protracted internal conflict. Such situation calls for supporting institutional viability, building on Colombia's strengths in the social sectors. Social assistance was not included in the social sector reforms for the 1990s, and the lack of strategic safety net is underscored by the fragmentation of programs within institutions, and overlapping program objectives across institutions. Targeted technical reforms should address budgeting, monitoring and evaluation to orient social assistance programs; existing programs reformed to improve quality and coverage; and, longer-term strategic reforms should focus on improving the operation of social safety nets, based on national debate, consensus, and political will.Publication When Prosperity is Not Shared : The Weak Links between Growth and Equity in the Dominican Republic(Washington, DC, 2014-01)The Dominican Republic has low economic mobility, with less than 2 percent of its people climbing to a higher income group during the decade, compared to an average 41 percent in the Latin America and Caribbean region as a whole. Despite improving access to basic goods and services such as water and education, coverage and quality remain uneven, thus limiting the economic opportunities of many disadvantaged people. This reflects their inability to influence the system to their benefit, a manifestation of weak political agency. This report uses a comprehensive definition of "equity" which entails that citizens must have equal access to opportunities, be able to live in dignity, and have the autonomy and voice to participate fully in their communities and decide on life plans that they have reason to value. This report identifies three broad goals for addressing the underlying causes of economic inequity in the Dominican Republic: (1) promote equitable, efficient, and sustainable fiscal policy; (2) build fair, transparent, and efficient institutions that will improve the provision and quality of public goods and services, expand economic opportunities, increase upward mobility, and better protect economically vulnerable Dominicans; and (3) strengthen access of the poor to labor markets and increase the demand for their labor, so as to make efficient use of human capital and allow the poor to benefit from economic growth. The analysis presented in this study analyzes mobility within generations by measuring directional income movement, that is, the net upward or downward movement in individual incomes over time. Serious analytical efforts should be devoted to understanding the apparent disconnection between macro and micro data that hinders the ability of national statistics to accurately reflect macroeconomic and social progress.Publication Liberia : A Diagnostic of Social Protection(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-12)Safety Nets are limited in Liberia and, although as a share of GDP, expenditures are higher than the regional average, the average benefit amount is equal to only 7-20 percent of the poverty line. The current system focuses on the country s most vulnerable populations but that the system is fragmented. Food insecurity is mainly addressed through food transfers aimed at preventing starvation and malnutrition. Unemployed people, including the large portion of the population engaged in informal employment, are targeted primarily by public works. Scaling-up Liberia s safety nets would require significant investments, which are not viable at the moment given the country s financial constraints. Efforts should hence focus on improving the overall safety net system within the existing budget.Publication Kingdom of Morocco : Social Protection Note(Washington, DC, 2002-12-19)This note on social protection has as its objective establishing an exhaustive analysis/diagnosis of the existing social protection framework and of preparing an integrated approach through developing better social protection priorities and plans of actions. It a) identifies the social risks which the Moroccan people face generally; b) examines current social protection initiatives (public, private, and civil society-sponsored) set up to reduce poverty and the vulnerability of the population to shocks to their income and standard of living in both rural and urban environments; and c) identifies the different elements needed for an effective social protection strategy as well as analyzes the current strategies undertaken by the World Bank and other donors. This study is precipitated by numerous sectoral studies done previously. It completes the last "Poverty Update" (report no. 21506) and the last Country Assistance Strategy for Morocco (report no. 22115).Publication Mexico - Income Generation and Social Protection for the Poor : Volume 3. An Overview of Social Protection(Washington, DC, 2005-08)This report provides a strategic overview of Mexico's federal social protection system, comprised of both social insurance and social assistance programs. It assesses its performance to date regarding income risk management for vulnerable groups, and identifies options for stepping up that performance. In doing so it responds to an increasing consensus in Mexico regarding the need for a major social protection policy reform, even if the direction of those reforms is still in flux. The report is designed to provide a first stage diagnostic of major issues facing the social protection system, as an input to ongoing discussion and debate in Mexico, and as a platform for further technical work on the specifics of reform. The report focuses on the role of federal government in the design and implementation of social protection policies, while recognizing that sub-national governments are playing an important role in the provision of these services. In doing so, it draws upon the first phase of the Mexico Programmatic Poverty Work, as well as the urban, rural and vulnerability studies conducted in parallel with this analysis. The report is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 presents a brief review of social protection concepts, and establishes a framework for determining the optimal role for government in the provision of social protection (risk management) tools, as distinct from market-provided risk management tools, and those undertaken informally by and between households. Chapter 2 discusses the major sources of income vulnerability in Mexico, identifying the major risks that Mexican families faces, and explores the extent to which households have access to private risk management mechanisms for addressing these risks. Chapter 3 provides an overview and assessment of the social protection system in Mexico, and finally Chapter 4 discusses issues and options.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-11)After several years of negative shocks, global growth is expected to hold steady in 2024 and then edge up in the next couple of years, in part aided by cautious monetary policy easing as inflation gradually declines. However, economic prospects are envisaged to remain tepid, especially in the most vulnerable countries. Risks to the outlook, while more balanced, are still tilted to the downside, including the possibility of escalating geopolitical tensions, further trade fragmentation, and higher-for-longer interest rates. Natural disasters related to climate change could also hinder activity. Subdued growth prospects across many emerging market and developing economies and continued risks underscore the need for decisive policy action at the global and national levels. Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies, on a semiannual basis (in January and June). Each edition includes analytical pieces on topical policy challenges faced by these economies.Publication Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Fall 2024: Better Education for Stronger Growth(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-17)Economic growth in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) is likely to moderate from 3.5 percent in 2023 to 3.3 percent this year. This is significantly weaker than the 4.1 percent average growth in 2000-19. Growth this year is driven by expansionary fiscal policies and strong private consumption. External demand is less favorable because of weak economic expansion in major trading partners, like the European Union. Growth is likely to slow further in 2025, mostly because of the easing of expansion in the Russian Federation and Turkiye. This Europe and Central Asia Economic Update calls for a major overhaul of education systems across the region, particularly higher education, to unleash the talent needed to reinvigorate growth and boost convergence with high-income countries. Universities in the region suffer from poor management, outdated curricula, and inadequate funding and infrastructure. A mismatch between graduates' skills and the skills employers are seeking leads to wasted potential and contributes to the region's brain drain. Reversing the decline in the quality of education will require prioritizing improvements in teacher training, updated curricula, and investment in educational infrastructure. In higher education, reforms are needed to consolidate university systems, integrate them with research centers, and provide reskilling opportunities for adult workers.Publication IFC Annual Report 2012 : Innovation, Influence, Demonstration, Volume 2. Results(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012)This annual report of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) summarizes the innovation and leadership roles in the private sector during fiscal year 2012. The IFC invested a record $20.4 billion in 103 developing countries, reflecting a doubling of annual commitments over the last five years. Those investments included nearly $5 billion mobilized from other investors, and an investment for Sub-Saharan Africa totaling $2.7 billion, nearly twice as much as five years ago. The advisory services program expenditures grew to $197 million, up more than 50 percent over the last five years. Advisory services also helped 33 client governments introduce 56 investment-climate reforms that will improve access to basic services for more than 16 million people. IFC investment clients helped support 2.5 million jobs in 2011 and made 23 million loans totaling more than $200 billion to micro, small, and medium enterprises. Net income before grants to the International Development Association (IDA) totaled $1.66 billion. The IFC has invested more than $23 billion in IDA countries, nearly $6 billion of it in fiscal year 2012 alone.