This note assesses pre-university education in Kosovo and identifies policies that can improve education quality and equity. There is a substantial need for improvement to the foundations of the education system, especially in terms of coverage and quality. If Kosovo is to reap the benefits of...

South Africa's much anticipated economic rebound in 2018 did not occur. While substantial efforts by the authorities to strengthen governance of public resources and stabilize the fiscal situation helped the economy to not contract further, economic growth remained tepid with a technical...

Despite being an upper middle income country, South Africa's high inequality and the long-lasting legacies of apartheid mean that the country is faced with numerous development challenges, many of which are characteristic of countries with much lower incomes. This paper focuses on social...

Social protection is a critical policy instrument in Sierra Leone to address the multiple risks and vulnerabilities faced by citizens. Through the Medium-term National Development Plan for 2019-2023, the government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) stated its aim to expand social assistance to cover thirty...

South Africa's social assistance system represents a major intervention by government in addressing the deprivation amongst the country's population. The system is extensive in terms of both the number of people it covers, directly and indirectly, as well as in terms of the amount of scarce...

Nepal's recent transition to a federal state structure provides a historic juncture to realize the role that social protection can play in achieving the constitutional goals of equity, inclusion, and prosperity. The transition to a federal structure of governance and the promulgation of a new...

Since 2010, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) has set official poverty reduction targets and emphasized the importance of a well-functioning social assistance system in continued poverty reduction. However, despite the efforts in expanding coverage of the social protection system, the pace of...

The report focuses on the social safety net, particularly cash and in-kind transfers. The safety net can play an important role in addressing poverty and vulnerability; however, the process by which the safety nets have been developed in Swaziland has produced a fragmented system that leaves...

The Social Assistance Scheme (SAS) is the main social assistance program in Kosovo and the sole program targeted at poverty reduction in Kosovo and, importantly, the only program in which household income and assets are used to identify beneficiaries. In the absence of SAS, the overall poverty...

This report presents the results of a diagnostic study on the targeting of social protection programs in Uzbekistan with a specific focus on low-income family allowances. The objective is to determine the extent to which current programs are reaching the poor and can reduce poverty, and...