2007年-世界发展银行全球_Peru___Social_Safety_Nets_in_Peru_74页_5mb

Summary of Social Safety Nets in Peru

Core Content

This document is a World Bank report analyzing the scope and performance of Peru's Social Safety Net (SSN) system, with a focus on food transfer programs and their impact on poverty and malnutrition. It outlines the challenges faced by the current SSN framework and proposes a strategy for its future development.

Main Components of the Peruvian Social Safety Net

• Scope: Peru has a wide range of SSN programs, primarily food-based, which accounted for 0.68% of GDP in 2006.
• Major Programs:
  • Vaso de Leche: A food assistance program for children, representing 0.13% of GDP.
  • School Breakfast (DE): 0.06% of GDP.
  • Community Kitchens: 0.04% of GDP.
  • A Trabajar Urbano: A workfare program, 0.07% of GDP.
  • FONCODES: A social fund for small-scale infrastructure, 0.24% of GDP.
  • Juntos: A Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, 0.06% of GDP, set to double in size in 2007.
• Key Issues: The SSN system is characterized by a low level of spending, poor targeting, and fragmented program structures, which limit its effectiveness in reducing poverty and malnutrition.

Vulnerable Groups in Peru

• Child Malnutrition: Affects 26% of under-five children, or around 750,000 children.
• Poverty Among Children: In the poorest quintile, 26% of children aged 10-14 are out of school and 53% are working.
• Old Age Income Insecurity: 78% of elderly people have no pensions.
• Exclusion and Vulnerability: The most vulnerable groups are children in extremely poor households, who face multiple deprivations that threaten their future development.

Performance of Food Transfer Programs

• Coverage and Benefit Levels: Despite a range of food-based programs, most have low benefit levels, with only one program offering a monthly benefit above US$4.
• Targeting Performance: Programs often fail to reach the most vulnerable populations effectively.
• Impact on Poverty and Malnutrition: The negligible impact is attributed to low overall spending and the lack of focus on nutrition outcomes, which are often centered on food distribution rather than monitoring growth and educating mothers on feeding practices.

Challenges and Recommendations

• Key Challenges:
  • Low quality of SSN programs.
  • Fragmented and overlapping programs.
  • Insufficient funding and poor program specification.
  • Limited capacity in rural areas to implement SSN programs.
• Recommended Strategy:
  • Establish clear objectives and quality standards for SSN programs.
  • Strengthen accountability through robust monitoring and evaluation systems.
  • Rationalize and integrate programs to eliminate duplication and improve targeting.
  • Focus on child malnutrition as the central goal of SSN programs.
  • Differentiate between urban and rural strategies based on municipal capacity.

Strategic Focus for Urban and Rural Areas

• Rural Areas:
  • The SSN should focus on reducing chronic malnutrition among children under five.
  • Juntos should be re-focused on this objective, becoming the central program in rural SSN.
  • FONCODES should continue to support small-scale infrastructure development in rural municipalities.
• Urban Areas:
  • Decentralization is recommended to improve responsiveness and transparency.
  • Vaso de Leche should be rationalized using the Registro Unico de Beneficiarios (RUB) to eliminate duplication.
  • A Trabajar Urbano should remain as a countercyclical program to address temporary unemployment.

Conclusion

• The SSN system in Peru is in a "low quality equilibrium" due to lack of clear objectives and poor targeting.
• The report emphasizes the need for a coherent national strategy and differentiated approaches for urban and rural areas.
• Improving nutrition outcomes is crucial for long-term poverty reduction and human capital development.
• Strengthening program accountability and focusing on key outcomes like child malnutrition are essential steps for reform.

Key Figures and Data

• Poverty Headcount:
  • National: 42.7% (1997), 44.5% (2006).
  • Rural: 66.3% (1997), 69.3% (2006).
• Extreme Poverty:
  • National: 18.2% (1997), 16.1% (2006).
  • Rural: 49.5% (2001), 44.5% (2006).
• Child Malnutrition:
  • Affects 26% of under-five children, with a significant portion being stunted.
• SSN Spending:
  • 0.68% of GDP in 2006, down from 0.96% in 1999.
  • Food programs account for nearly half of the total SSN spending.

Annexes and Supporting Information

• The annexes provide detailed data on program coverage, benefit incidence, and the impact of SSN programs on poverty and malnutrition.
• They also include a proxy means test model for assessing targeting accuracy and lessons from program evaluations.

Final Recommendations

• Rationalize and integrate existing programs.
• Focus on child malnutrition as the central objective.
• Strengthen accountability through monitoring and evaluation.
• Implement differentiated strategies for urban and rural areas.
• Support municipal capacity in urban centers and maintain strong national leadership in rural areas.