UNICEF Policy Social Protection -

Overview of Social Safety Net Assessment

Barbados, 04 June 2010 Social Protection Washington DC, 26 April 2010

UNICEF Policy and Practice

Defining Social protection“All public and private initiatives that provide income or

consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks, and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized; with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability of poor, vulnerable and marginalized groups.” (Devereux & Sabates Wheeler, 2004)

• Protection• Prevention• Promotion• Distribution• Transformation

Gender analysis

VS

Target population

Programme

E mistake: excessive coverage (leakage)

F mistake: failure to reach target population

Targeting

Targeting has hidden costs Difficult to identify & reach the poor

F mistake, mostly women

Poor get bumped-off by not-so-poorE mistake, often women &

poorest

Administrative costs are highavoid F/E mistakes; oversight

Proving eligibility is costlydocuments, fees, fares, stigma, male-bias

Sustainability is underminedpoor’s voice weak to keep

scope/quality

Tall vs Short People

• Are shorter people poorer?• ???• Do shorter people pay more taxes?• ?????• Does a devaluation favor taller people?• ???????

Cash transfers

• Birth grants • Universal child allowances• Conditional cash transfers• Maternal or parental benefits • Sick leaves, disability benefits• Housing allowances• Unemployment benefits

Conditional cash transfers

• What are they?• How do they work? • Why are they implemented?

Conditional cash transfers (ii)

• Targeted, not universal• Conditionality may imply punishing the needy

(punitive)• Low impact/efficiency (e.g. high monitoring costs)• Ethical issues (e.g. paternalistic/top down)• Unintended consequences (e.g. discrimination,

clientelism)

Conditional cash transfers (iii)

• Simple cash transfers can work• No really good and systematic evidence that

conditionality works• Work?– To reduce poverty?– To increase access to services?

Addressing social protection reform

• From UNICEF you would expect Child Rights argument

• From economist you would expect market failure argument

• From UNIFEM the Gender aspect.• But there is more. What do you want for your

society? Where do you want to live?• If other countries have it, why not? Are citizens

of Caribbean Islands inferior? Do they deserve less?

Thank you!