Publication: Afghanistan - Poverty, Vulnerability, and Social Protection : An Initial Assessment
Loading...
Published
2005-03
ISSN
Date
2012-06-20
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
This report highlights the relationship between poverty, risk and vulnerability facing the people of Afghanistan. The report is divided in to five chapters: Chapter I provides a short historical overview of poverty and vulnerability and highlights some of the ways in which the Afghan people have survived more than two decades of conflict, recurring drought and other natural disasters. Chapters II and III focus on livelihoods, poverty and vulnerability in rural Afghanistan where more than three-quarters of the Afghan population live. Chapter IV focuses on the same subject matter in the urban areas. The final chapter of the report outlines the policy directions for poverty reduction and suggests that the essential path for poverty reduction is sustained, equitable, broad-based economic growth, with the State playing the role of facilitator, regular and financier of high-return infrastructure and services but leaving provision largely in the hands of the private sector, communities and NGOs. The objectives of the report are (i) to gain a more in-depth understanding of poverty and vulnerability as experienced by different socio-economic groups; (ii) to examine the range of risk-management instruments (informal and formal) that are available and to better understand their effectiveness; and (iii) to suggest the parameters of a broad-based poverty reduction strategy.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2005. Afghanistan - Poverty, Vulnerability, and Social Protection : An Initial Assessment. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8522 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 Ukraine : Social Safety Nets and Poverty, Volume 2(Washington, DC, 2001-06-15)The report is intended to determine the appropriateness of the social protection system in meeting the needs of the poor in Ukraine, and what are the changes which can be instituted to improve such system. To this end, the report presents the poverty measurement in the country, assesses current social programs, and suggests a framework for system redesign. In particular, it points at the challenge of a transition economy, in realizing that poverty does appear even among the employed population, while childhood poverty does indeed affect the future of a nation. The study presents the survey methodology, based on a household survey, measures of income and expenditure, and of inequality, examining the poverty line through a multivariate analysis of poverty risks in the country, including housing subsidies, energy arrears, in addition to war entitlements and privileges. It finds that the Ukrainian social support system could address social needs well, as it has sufficient resources to do so, though currently, it does so poorly. Thus resource allocation needs to be improved, by targeting categorical benefits, testing asset and income potential, as well as using indicators to substitute for the direct measurement of income. An additional quantitative analysis will be required to better plan management, and effective evaluation, in addition to a system redesign to reduce funding for poorly targeted programs, while increasing social funding at large. A strategy is proposed to phase-in a social assistance reform over a four-year period, supported by the Bank.Publication Ukraine : Social Safety Nets and Poverty, Volume 1(Washington, DC, 2001-06-15)The report is intended to determine the appropriateness of the social protection system in meeting the needs of the poor in Ukraine, and what are the changes which can be instituted to improve such system. To this end, the report presents the poverty measurement in the country, assesses current social programs, and suggests a framework for system redesign. In particular, it points at the challenge of a transition economy, in realizing that poverty does appear even among the employed population, while childhood poverty does indeed affect the future of a nation. The study presents the survey methodology, based on a household survey, measures of income and expenditure, and of inequality, examining the poverty line through a multivariate analysis of poverty risks in the country, including housing subsidies, energy arrears, in addition to war entitlements and privileges. It finds that the Ukrainian social support system could address social needs well, as it has sufficient resources to do so, though currently, it does so poorly. Thus resource allocation needs to be improved, by targeting categorical benefits, testing asset and income potential, as well as using indicators to substitute for the direct measurement of income. An additional quantitative analysis will be required to better plan management, and effective evaluation, in addition to a system redesign to reduce funding for poorly targeted programs, while increasing social funding at large. A strategy is proposed to phase-in a social assistance reform over a four-year period, supported by the Bank.Publication Georgia : Poverty Update(Washington, DC, 2002-01-10)This povert y update finds the following: Between 1997 and 2000, poverty has increased unambiguously, for a full set of poverty lines and definitions of poverty measures. Poverty has increased because over the period, consumption fell and inequality rose. Living standards have not risen despite growth in Gross Domestic Product because growth was too weak, too concentrated in a narrow set of sectors, and there were no effective mechanisms to redistribute its benefits. The 1998-99 crisis hit those who were benefiting from the period of growth--the self-employed and private sector workers. But the worse impact of the crisis was on the most vulnerable, and particularly on children. the depth and severity of poverty have increased, and the most socially vulnerable have become poorer and more deprived. it is not clear what the government did to prevent the worsening of poverty; on the one hand, the government created adequate foundations for a market economy, enabling private sector growth, and on the other hand, the government did very litle to help the poor directly and in some key respects the situation was made worse by allowing the accumulation of arrears on pensions, salaries for teachers, and other social expenditures. The report further examines why government performance in implementing anti-poverty measures was inadequate; the signs that the situation is changing; key challenges for poverty reduction; and identifies priorities the government must address.Publication Building Resilience to Disaster and Climate Change through Social Protection(Washington, DC, 2013-05)Natural disasters and climate change are among the greatest threats to development. Although natural disasters have always presented risks, climate change increases those risks and compounds them by adding a greater level of uncertainty. As a result of their increased frequency, the economic and social costs of disasters are mounting (World Bank 2010). Natural disasters and climate change can push people into chronic and transient poverty and force them to adopt negative coping strategies. Social protection programs play an important role in protecting poor and vulnerable people from these impacts and helping them reduce their exposure and vulnerability to them. This toolkit provides guidance on how to prepare social protection programs to respond to disasters and climate change. The snapshots of good practice experiences and practical tips for implementation are intended to guide decision makers in countries facing these risks in adapting their social protection programs to reduce negative impacts and accelerate recovery. The focus of this toolkit is aligned with the role and expertise of the World Bank, which has traditionally supported early and long-term recovery and helped rebuild livelihoods and infrastructure. This toolkit provides examples of good practice experiences and practical guidance for the practitioner in that direction.Publication Cash for Work in Sierra Leone : A Case Study on the Design and Implementation of a Safety Net in Response to a Crisis(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-11)This paper presents an assessment of the first phase (2008?2009) of Sierra Leone's cash for work program based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis examining program design features, main processes and impact. The assessment highlights that while cash for work was an appropriate crisis response, the challenge of achieving good targeting should not be underestimated. Findings from the assessment point to high inclusion errors of non?poor population quintiles, despite the program apparently many rules of best practice in program design. The assessment points to a series of factors to explain targeting performance, and future strategies consider mixed methods with a greater emphasis on the role of communities in affecting overall outcomes. The assessment notes areas of success during implementation, including the impact of the program in promoting cohesion amongst youth groups, as well as women. In this sense the assessment points to future strategies and options for moving cash for work forward under its expanded incarnation of the Youth Employment Support Project. Through the use of light qualitative and quantitative methods, the paper also advocates for similar assessments where monitoring and evaluation capacity are weak and time constraints tight.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Morocco Economic Update, Winter 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-03)Despite the drought causing a modest deceleration of overall GDP growth to 3.2 percent, the Moroccan economy has exhibited some encouraging trends in 2024. Non-agricultural growth has accelerated to an estimated 3.8 percent, driven by a revitalized industrial sector and a rebound in gross capital formation. Inflation has dropped below 1 percent, allowing Bank al-Maghrib to begin easing its monetary policy. While rural labor markets remain depressed, the economy has added close to 162,000 jobs in urban areas. Morocco’s external position remains strong overall, with a moderate current account deficit largely financed by growing foreign direct investment inflows, underpinned by solid investor confidence indicators. Despite significant spending pressures, the debt-to-GDP ratio is slowly declining.Publication Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Spring 2025: Accelerating Growth through Entrepreneurship, Technology Adoption, and Innovation(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-23)Business dynamism and economic growth in Europe and Central Asia have weakened since the late 2000s, with productivity growth driven largely by resource reallocation between firms and sectors rather than innovation. To move up the value chain, countries need to facilitate technology adoption, stronger domestic competition, and firm-level innovation to build a more dynamic private sector. Governments should move beyond broad support for small- and medium-sized enterprises and focus on enabling the most productive firms to expand and compete globally. Strengthening competition policies, reducing the presence of state-owned enterprises, and ensuring fair market access are crucial. Limited availability of long-term financing and risk capital hinders firm growth and innovation. Economic disruptions are a shock in the short term, but they provide an opportunity for implementing enterprise and structural reforms, all of which are essential for creating better-paying jobs and helping countries in the region to achieve high-income status.Publication Digital Africa(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-03-13)All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ short-term objective of postpandemic economic recovery but also their vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. These outcomes are not automatic, however. Mobile internet availability has increased throughout the continent in recent years, but Africa’s uptake gap is the highest in the world. Areas with at least 3G mobile internet service now cover 84 percent of Africa’s population, but only 22 percent uses such services. And the average African business lags in the use of smartphones and computers as well as more sophisticated digital technologies that catalyze further productivity gains. Two issues explain the usage gap: affordability of these new technologies and willingness to use them. For the 40 percent of Africans below the extreme poverty line, mobile data plans alone would cost one-third of their incomes—in addition to the price of access devices, apps, and electricity. Data plans for small- and medium-size businesses are also more expensive than in other regions. Moreover, shortcomings in the quality of internet services—and in the supply of attractive, skills-appropriate apps that promote entrepreneurship and raise earnings—dampen people’s willingness to use them. For those countries already using these technologies, the development payoffs are significant. New empirical studies for this report add to the rapidly growing evidence that mobile internet availability directly raises enterprise productivity, increases jobs, and reduces poverty throughout Africa. To realize these and other benefits more widely, Africa’s countries must implement complementary and mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen both consumers’ ability to pay and willingness to use digital technologies. These interventions must prioritize productive use to generate large numbers of inclusive jobs in a region poised to benefit from a massive, youthful workforce—one projected to become the world’s largest by the end of this century.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 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.