Publication: Mind the Gap: Assessing Pakistan’s National Socio-economic Registry (NSER)
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2024-12-19
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2024-12-19
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The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was initiated in 2008 in Pakistan to aid the poor and vulnerable, particularly in response to the global financial crisis. The National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER), established by BISP, is a key component for determining eligibility for Kafaalat through household characteristics and assets data. Despite the high overall coverage, over 2.2 million households from the bottom 40 percent of the population are still not included in the NSER. The report highlights the importance of adaptive safety nets in Pakistan, particularly in recent economic, health, and climatic shocks. These safety nets are designed to be scalable and flexible, providing swift and effective support to the most vulnerable populations during crises. The 2022 floods in Pakistan demonstrated the effectiveness of the NSER as a shock-responsive safety net, with a higher percentage of flood-affected households being registered, more aware of their NSER status, and more likely to have received assistance, especially among the poorer quintiles. This report presents a positive evaluation of NSER completeness and accuracy, and several important policy messages emerge.
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“Majoka, Zaineb; Wieser, Christina; Qazi, Maria; Guzman Fonseca, David; Pave Sohnesen, Thomas; Khan, Ibrahim. 2024. Mind the Gap: Assessing Pakistan’s National Socio-economic Registry (NSER). © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42566 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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