Social Protection: Policymaker Beliefs and Empirical Evidence

This chapter examines how policymakers’ beliefs about social protection programs align with empirical evidence on program impacts. The authors review research on social insurance, safety nets, and targeted assistance, exploring how cognitive biases and heuristics influence expectations about program outcomes. Drawing on case studies and rigorous evidence from low- and middle-income countries, the chapter highlights disparities between policymakers’ beliefs and empirical findings, offering insights for better design and implementation of social protection interventions.