Inclusion and Resilience

More documents

Recommendations

Info

not only about the technical aspects of reform but also, and perhaps more important, about the sensitive issues concerning the political economy of reform. Political economy considerations have been a major reason why SSN reform has largely stalled or never began in some Middle Eastern and North African countries; new evidence suggests that better information, improved design, and increased transparency of SSNs can help the region move forward. The region’s citizens are expecting their governments to be more effective providers of SSNs that target the poor. New opinion surveys conducted in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia as part of this study (see box ES.1) reveal that close to 90 percent of citizens see the government as the main provider of SSNs. However, in Egypt and Lebanon, less than a third found the current SSN policies and programs effective, while in Jordan and Tunisia the poor reported much more dissatisfaction than the rich. The surveys also showed the uneven coverage of SSNs and, to some extent, their regressive nature. In Egypt, 23 percent of all respondents—particularly the poor—did not know any of the main SSN programs in the country, while in Lebanon and Tunisia, the rich were more likely than the poor to know an SSN beneficiary. In spite of their large fiscal cost, awareness of fuel subsidies is below 50 percent in all four countries. The opposition to subsidy reform varies strongly across countries (higher in Egypt and lower in Lebanon) and in terms of priority, with gasoline in Egypt, tobacco in Lebanon, and diesel in Jordan and Tunisia being the subsidies most accepted for reform. In addition to the opinion surveys, this study conducted a behavioral experiment (Jordan Gives) among a nationally representative sample of the Jordanian middle class which collected information on preferences for redistribution to the poor by simulating real trade-offs through the use of fuel vouchers. This experiment showed not only that middle-class individuals support redistribution to the poor, but also, more important, that this support varies according to the design of the assistance and the credibility of targeting. Altogether, these activities suggest that (a) much scope remains to increase support for reform by raising awareness on the existence and true cost of subsidies; and (b) customizing the design of renewed SSNs can help to shift public opinion in favor of SSN reform. For instance, in all Box ES.1. Listening to the Middle East and North Africa The activities conducted in preparation for this report reached more than 4,000 Middle Eastern and North African citizens through the nationally representative MENA SPEAKS (Social Protection Evaluation of Attitudes, Knowledge, and Support) surveys, which were fielded in collaboration with Gallup in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia. Moreover, the report surveyed more than 400 Jordanian middle-class citizens through a behavioral game (Jordan Gives) that collected information on revealed preferences for redistribution by using fuel vouchers as real payoffs, among a nationally representative sample of the Jordanian middle class. Through consultation workshops across the region, the report also involved more than 250 representatives of government; academia; civil society; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and community-based organizations from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and West Bank and Gaza; as well as multilateral and bilateral donors (including the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia). Executive Summary xi
xii countries but Lebanon, those who approved of subsidy reform opted for a cash transfer targeted to the poor rather than more broad-based compensation; in general, citizens showed a clear preference for SSNs that focus on the poor (rather than on specific groups) and that deliver cash (rather than in-kind benefits). Recent experience has demonstrated the feasibility of SSN reform in the Middle East and North Africa. There are several examples of successful reforms that have attained significant positive results: West Bank and Gaza created a unified registry across SSN programs that significantly improved targeting accuracy and crisis response capacity. The Republic of Yemen responded quickly during the global economic crisis with a workfare program to bridge a consumption gap of the poor and vulnerable while also creating community assets. Simultaneously, important reforms were implemented in the main cash transfer program, the Social Welfare Fund, such as improving poverty targeting with a proxy means-test formula, strengthening capacity for service delivery, and implementing a new legal and policy framework. Morocco’s Tayssir program—a pilot cash transfer program conditional on school attendance and targeting areas with high incidences of school dropouts and poverty—has had a significant positive impact in reducing dropouts in rural areas, especially among girls. Djibouti has adopted an innovative program design to make a workfare program work for children and women. Lebanon recently launched a central targeting database (National Poverty Targeting Program), laying the foundation for an effective SSN. Jordan has made important steps toward rebalancing SSNs away from subsidies and developing a targeting and poverty reduction strategy. In light of the region-specific challenges faced by the poor and vulnerable and the current state of SSNs, the path toward more effective and innovative SSNs calls for action on several fronts. The remaining key human development challenges in the region and the disappointing performance of existing SSN systems call for more effective and innovative SSNs that promote inclusion and resilience. Although there is no single solution, better results can be achieved through action on the following four agenda items: Improving the impact of SSN programs in the Middle East and North Africa, including their effect on reducing present and future poverty. Currently, most of the region’s nonsubsidy SSN programs have limited impact on poverty and inequality because of the combination of low coverage (with inefficient targeting) and inadequate or nonexistent monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems. Hence, the way forward on this front could entail The Way Forward for Social Safety Nets in the Middle East and North Africa
Page 1 and 2: Public Disclosure Authorized Public
Page 3 and 4: This booklet contains the overview
Page 6 and 7: Acknowledgments This report is the
Page 8 and 9: Abbreviations CCT conditional cash
Page 10 and 11: Executive Summary Transitions are d
Page 14 and 15: Prioritizing interventions that pro
Page 16 and 17: alances and free up resources for o
Page 18 and 19: Overview There is currently an unpa
Page 20: livelihood, and resilience) and ill
Page 23 and 24: 6 Livelihood, by protecting agains
Page 26 and 27: Key Challenges that Call for Renewe
Page 28 and 29: Figure 4 Prevalence of Wasting Rela
Page 30 and 31: shows that poor young men are more
Page 32 and 33: Figure 10 Share of Population Livin
Page 34: and Sana’a, Republic of Yemen, sh
Page 37 and 38: 20 Figure 13 SSN Spending with and
Page 39 and 40: 22 Figure 17 Coverage by Nonsubsidy
Page 41 and 42: 24 Figure 19 Beneficiary Incidence
Page 43 and 44: 26 Figure 21 Poverty and Inequality
Page 45 and 46: Egypt and Iraq, food ration cards r
Page 47 and 48: 30 Figure 23 Self-Reported Poverty
Page 49 and 50: 32 Figure 25 Opinions about Respons
Page 51 and 52: 34 GDP). Raising awareness of the c
Page 53 and 54: 36 Figure 29 Support for Conditiona
Page 55 and 56: upper-middle income, or rich were l
Page 58 and 59: The Way Forward Making Safety Nets
Page 60 and 61: Improve the Impact of SSN Programs
Page 62 and 63:
tive, eligibility criteria, and ben
Page 64 and 65:
Annex A.1 Description of the Data S
Page 66:
Country Survey Year Description Mul
Page 69 and 70:
52 Pro-Poor? From Static to Dynamic
show all

Inclusion and Resilience

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?