2010年-世界发展银行全球_Vietnam___Strengthening_the_Social_Safety_Net_to_Address_New_Poverty_and_Vulnerability_Challenges_32页_790kb

报告摘要

Summary of Vietnam: Strengthening the Social Safety Net to Address New Poverty and Vulnerability Challenges

Core Content

This policy note assesses Vietnam's social safety net system as it transitions to Middle-Income Country status. It highlights the need for a more effective and comprehensive approach to address new poverty and vulnerability challenges arising from economic growth, urbanization, industrialization, and climate change.

Main Points

1. Current Social Protection System

Vietnam's social protection system is based on three main mechanisms:

Social Insurance: Focuses on contributory schemes for health, pension, disability, sickness, and unemployment.
Geographically Targeted Programs: Aim to reduce poverty in specific regions, such as the P 135 program and the 61 Districts program.
Household-Targeted Programs: Include social assistance, health insurance subsidies, and other direct support to vulnerable individuals and families.

2. Challenges in the Social Safety Net

Limited Coverage: Existing programs, particularly social assistance, have low coverage (around 1.2% of the population in 2008), which is below international standards.
Inadequate Shocks Management: Most programs do not provide tools to help households cope with sudden income shocks.
Persistent Poverty Gaps: Ethnic minorities continue to face significantly higher poverty rates and deeper poverty than the Kinh/Hoa population.
Urban Vulnerability: New sources of vulnerability are emerging in urban areas due to migration, informal employment, and the impacts of climate change.

3. Effectiveness of Social Safety Net Programs

Targeting: While targeting is generally good, it is not sufficient to address all forms of poverty and vulnerability.
Adequacy: Benefits are often insufficient to meet basic needs, especially for vulnerable groups.
Institutional and Delivery Issues: There are gaps in beneficiary selection, benefit payment, information management, and grievance redress.

Key Information

4. Social Assistance under Decrees 67 and 13

Social assistance is a key component of the social safety net, targeting specific vulnerable groups such as orphans, elderly, disabled individuals, and poor single parents.
The program was expanded in 2010 with Decree 13, reducing the minimum age from 85 to 80 and increasing benefit levels.
Benefits range from VND 180,000 to 540,000 per month, depending on the category.
The program is funded by local budgets, with central government support in case of shortfalls.

5. Proposed Strengthening of the Social Safety Net

The note recommends strengthening household-targeted social safety net interventions as a complement to geographically targeted programs.
These interventions should focus on:
- Shocks Management: Providing tools such as cash transfers or in-kind support to help households deal with economic shocks.
- Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups: Especially ethnic minorities, who face multi-dimensional poverty and limited access to services.
- Integration with Other Programs: Ensuring better coordination and planning with existing poverty reduction and social insurance initiatives.

6. Policy Directions

The Social Security Strategy 2011–2020 aims to develop a flexible social assistance system that can respond to risks and events.
It proposes expanding the coverage of social assistance to include all vulnerable groups.
The goal is to ensure that social assistance is equivalent to 60% of the substantial living standard.

Conclusion

Vietnam's social safety net system, while making progress, is insufficient to address the evolving challenges of poverty and vulnerability. A more comprehensive and effective system is needed, particularly focusing on household-level interventions that provide immediate relief and support for long-term development. The note emphasizes the importance of integrating social safety nets with broader poverty reduction and social insurance strategies to ensure a more inclusive and resilient social protection framework.