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...

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...

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...

This report profiles poverty and assesses the performance of the social assistance (SA) system in the Turkish Cypriot community (TCc). The aim of this report is to provide information and evidence-based analysis to policy-makers on the determinants of poverty in the TCc and on the effectiveness...

This report examines the role of infrastructure in explaining why the region lags so far behind the rest of the country. More importantly, it looks at how improved infrastructure may help the region catch up. Infrastructure is examined here through its impact on social as well as economic...

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...

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...