Christina Behrendt

Cash Benefits in Low-Income Countries: Simulating the Effects on Poverty Reduction for Senegal and Tanzania

Social cash transfers are increasingly recognized as an effective instrument in the reduction of poverty. The objective of the present study is to model the introduction of basic social cash transfer programmes on household welfare, poverty incidence and depth in two African countries: Senegal and Tanzania. Based on household budget survey data, a set of social cash transfers were modelled in terms of their impact on poverty reduction. In addition, a rough cost estimate of the simulated transfers is provided.

Can Low-Income Countries Afford Social Security?

Proposals to accelerate the establishment of social protection systems in low-income countries have gathered strength in the early years of the twenty-first century. These proposals are being subjected to searching questions. One major question concerns ‘affordability’ — with which this chapter seeks to deal.

Social security: Three lessons from the global crisis

The global financial and economic crisis has given new impetus to the debate on social security policies. Countries that had social security programmes in place strongly relied on them as automatic stabilizers in their stimulus packages. Where countries affected by the crisis did not have adequate social security mechanisms, the need to develop social security became more apparent. As a result, a number of social protection policy initiatives have begun or been stepped up at national, regional and global levels, including the UN Social Protection Floor Initiative and the Global Jobs Pact. Positive changes had begun in many developing countries well before the crisis. But a large social security coverage deficit still prevails (ILO, 2010f; UNRISD, 2010). In many countries only a minority of the population has access – both statutorily and effectively – to existing schemes. Figure 12.1 shows the scope of statutory coverage through social security schemes around the world. It can be seen that in Asia, Africa and some parts of Latin America in particular there are large gaps in the scope of social security schemes statutorily available. It is estimated that only one-fifth of the global working-age population and their families have effective access to comprehensive social protection (ILO, 2010f, p. 1). The social security deficit is one of the main obstacles to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (UN, 2010). 12