Social Protection: Policymaker Beliefs and Empirical Evidence

Social protection programs seek to address two related, but distinct, challenges. First, there are substantial differences in earning abilities. Some people, even if they work tirelessly, are poor, and struggle to sustain a basic standard of living, or to provide their children with basic levels of food, nutrition and education. Second, even those who have the potential to earn more can experience shocks. Disability or short-term illnesses, for example, may impede earning ability. Events such as job loss, the death of a family member, or a major health crisis can devastate household finances. To address these dual challenges—low levels of consumption for the poor and uninsured shocks—governments worldwide have created a variety of social protection programs. These programs come in many forms, including but not limited to income and food support programs, such as cash transfers and subsidized food and voucher programs, as well as programs that provide social insurance, such as unemployment insurance or disability insurance.