2014年-世界发展银行全球_The_State_of_Social_Safety_Nets_2014_124页_4mb

Summary of The State of Social Safety Nets 2014

Core Content

The State of Social Safety Nets 2014 is a comprehensive report by the World Bank that provides an overview of the current state of social safety net programs globally, with a focus on developing and emerging countries. The report is structured into five main sections and six annexes, covering topics such as coverage, program inventory, spending, policy and institutional frameworks, and performance evidence.

The report defines social safety nets as non-contributory transfers in cash or in-kind, aimed at providing regular and predictable support to poor and vulnerable populations. These programs are part of broader social protection systems, which also include contributory insurance and labor market policies.

Main Viewpoints

1. Coverage of Social Safety Nets

• Over 1 billion people in developing countries are covered by social safety net programs, but this represents only about one-fifth of the population.
• Only 345 million of the 870 million people in extreme poverty are currently covered by social safety nets.
• Upper-middle-income countries (UMICs) host 352 million beneficiaries, which is one in eight of the global extreme poor.
• Lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) and low-income countries (LICs) have less coverage, with many of their extreme poor not being reached.

2. Program Inventory

• The report identifies 5 types of social safety net programs:
  • Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs)
  • Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCTs)
  • Conditional In-Kind Transfers (CITs)
  • Unconditional In-Kind Transfers (UITs)
  • Public Works (PWs)
• School feeding programs are the most prevalent type, present in 130 countries.
• Conditional cash transfers have seen significant growth, increasing from 27 countries in 2008 to 52 in 2013.
• Public works programs have also expanded, from 62 in 2011 to 85 in 2013.
• Unconditional cash transfers are implemented in 118 countries globally.

3. Spending on Social Safety Nets

• Global spending on social safety nets in 107 developing and emerging countries amounts to $337 billion.
• This is twice the amount needed to provide every person in extreme poverty with an income of $1.25 per day.
• Spending as a percentage of GDP averages 1.6%, with richer countries spending 1.9% and lower-income countries spending 1.1%.
• Energy subsidies often outpace social safety net spending in many countries, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where fuel subsidies account for over 4% of GDP compared to 1% for social safety nets.
• External financing is a major source of funding in lower-income countries, with Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Burkina Faso being the most dependent.

4. Policy, Institutions, and Administration

• 67 countries have a social protection policy or strategy as of 2013, up from 19 in 2009.
• Institutional bodies such as steering committees and agencies are being established to coordinate social protection programs across sectors and ministries.
• Social registries are being used to reduce program fragmentation and avoid duplication. For example, Brazil's Cadastro registry includes data on 27.3 million people and links to 10 programs.
• Administrative innovations like unified registries are helping to improve the efficiency and integration of social safety net programs.

5. Results and Evidence

• Robust evidence continues to emerge on the impacts of social safety nets, including their effects on poverty, inequality, food security, and human capital.
• Impact evaluations from the past three years have provided strong evidence on the effectiveness of these programs.
• Key challenges include ensuring program coverage aligns with the scale of poverty and targeting the poorest populations.
• Some countries have large coverage, such as Guatemala where 49% of the population is covered by social safety nets, while others like Madagascar have very low coverage (only 1%).

Key Information

• Social safety nets have grown significantly over the last decade, especially in cash-based programs.
• Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a doubling of the number of countries with unconditional cash transfers from 21 in 2010 to 37 in 2013.
• The five largest programs globally account for almost half of the coverage, including India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Brazil's Bolsa Familia, and China's Di Bao.
• Social safety nets have the potential to cover almost all extreme poor, but actual coverage remains low.
• Remittances do not adequately support the extreme poor, with only 15% of remittances reaching this group.
• Programs are increasingly integrated into broader social protection systems, moving away from ad-hoc interventions.

Conclusion

The report highlights the importance of social safety nets in poverty alleviation and shared prosperity, while also pointing out the gaps in coverage, especially in lower-middle-income and low-income countries. It emphasizes the need for greater investment, better targeting, and more integrated systems to effectively address the needs of the poorest populations. The series is intended to monitor and update data and trends on social safety nets, providing ongoing insights for policymakers and practitioners.