Using social safety nets to accelerate poverty reduction and share prosperity in Zambia (Anglais)

The rest of this report: (i) looks at the dynamics of poverty in Zambia and at which aspects of poverty can realistically be addressed by transfer programs; (ii) examines the fiscal space available for funding safety net programs; (iii) analyzes the effectiveness...  Voir la suite The rest of this report: (i) looks at the dynamics of poverty in Zambia and at which aspects of poverty can realistically be addressed by transfer programs; (ii) examines the fiscal space available for funding safety net programs; (iii) analyzes the effectiveness of existing programs and of potential new program choices; (iv) assesses what role productive transfer programs might play in Zambia’s long-term development strategy and the trade-offs with other poverty-reducing public investments; and (v) makes some specific suggestions for future programming and for strengthening existing efforts. The report examines the ways in which the government currently spends money to provide direct transfers to Zambian households (as well as some options used elsewhere but not currently in Zambia) to assess which are the most cost-effective for accelerating poverty reduction. In this report, the term ‘safety nets’ is used to refer to non-contributory transfer programs, generally targeted in some manner to the poor and vulnerable. Safety net programs are meant both to catch those falling downward economically before they become destitute and to provide assistance or a minimum income to the permanently poor.5 The best of them can enable households to make a permanent transition out of poverty by helping them to build their human capital or increase the returns to their labor, either on the farm or off it. The programs examined include agriculture-related transfers, targeted unconditional cash transfers, in-kind transfers, and school feeding, programs supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), and public works employment-based programs.  Réduire