Social Protection
Worldwide, social protection programs such as cash or in-kind transfers and social insurance are growing in scope to help combat poverty and reduce inequality in low- and middle-income economies. Designing social protection programs for these contexts, however, entails challenges that differ from those faced in high-income economies. For example, governments in many low- and middle-income countries may not have data on people’s employment status and incomes, which makes it difficult to effectively target benefit programs to those most in need.
As social protection programs continue to grow in scope, it is critical that governments build robust systems that can both address long-term poverty and help vulnerable households adapt to economic, health, climatic, or other shocks.
In addition to supporting policymakers in applying evidence from randomized evaluations to their work, sector chairs and staff write policy insights that synthesize general lessons emerging from the research, condense results from evaluations in policy publications and evaluation summaries, and fund new research through the Social Protection Initiative.
Research Directions on Social Protection in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The Social Protection Initiative (SPI) funds randomized evaluations of social protection programs in low- and middle-income countries and supports policy engagement to share insights from completed research. To help diagnose the evidence gaps and provide a foundation and guide for SPI's funding...
Blog
Introducing J-PAL’s new Social Protection Initiative and sector
We are launching a brand new sector and initiative at J-PAL to generate rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of social protection programs and to help partners apply evidence to high-level decision-making.
Case study
Community-based targeting to combat Covid-19-induced poverty
Using community targeting methods to distribute cash transfers during Covid-19 has provided relief to over eight million recipients previously unenrolled in any social protection program in Indonesia.
Case study
Designing a social protection program during Covid-19
J-PAL affiliated researchers supported the Government of Chile in designing a cash transfer program during the Covid-19 pandemic, which reached almost 3 million households.
Evaluation
The Impacts of In-kind Food Transfers versus Electronic Vouchers on Poverty Reduction in Indonesia
In partnership with the Government of Indonesia, researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to compare the efficacy of vouchers versus in-kind transfers in reducing poverty and improving program delivery. The reform led to an increase in assistance received by eligible households, due to improved...
Evaluation
The Effects of a Universal Basic Income during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Kenya
Taking advantage of a pre-existing large-scale evaluation of a universal basic income project in Kenya, researchers measured how different types of cash transfers impact recipients’ income, reported well-being, food security, mental health, and social interaction in the context of the COVID-19...
