Publication: Providing Social Protection and Livelihood Support During Post-Earthquake Recovery
Date
2010-12
ISSN
Published
2010-12
Author(s)
Abstract
Providing basic income and employment
support is an essential component of the government efforts
to rebuild the province of Sichuan from the devastation
caused by the earthquake. The primary objective of such
policies is to protect the most vulnerable households in the
affected communities. These policies can also have benefits
in terms of rejuvenating local economic activities by
creating purchasing power in affected areas, as well as
rebuilding severely damaged basic infrastructure by
integrating select reconstruction activities with social
protection programs. This note focuses on two main
approaches: cash transfer and public works programs. After
the South Asia earthquake in 2005, Pakistan used a cash
transfer program to protect the vulnerable and help
regenerate local economies. To illustrate how a public works
program can be a flexible instrument for providing
short-term income support while at the same time
contributing to the recovery of essential public
infrastructure, the experience of several countries is
introduced. Building on these country experiences, the note
discusses key lessons relevant for China.
Citation
“Vishwanath, Tara; Yu, Xiaoqing. 2010. Providing Social Protection and Livelihood Support During Post-Earthquake Recovery. EAP DRM Knowledge Notes; No. 15. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/d1807110-93fd-5838-ab96-9e3b74ebb11c License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”