Shielding the Poor Social Protection in the Developing World

by Lustig, Nora Claudia

• ISBN13: 9780815753216
• ISBN10: 0815753217
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-01
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Summary

The poor in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to adverse shocks. They have little or no access to public social insurance, are unlikely to save in adequate amounts to rely fully on self-insurance or informal insurance, face restricted access to private market insurance or credit mechanisms, and have little or no political voice to demand the protection of safety net programs. In this book, the authors analyze the best ways to help the poor manage risks such as health shocks, unemployment, sudden drops in income, and old age. Unemployment benefits, employment programs, means-tested social assistance, social investment funds, and micro-finance for consumption-smoothing purposes are the leading options considered. The book provides a careful assessment of issues that governments need to address in the process of designing appropriate safety nets.

Table of Contents

Preface	v
Introduction	1	(20)
Nora Lustig
Has Aggregate Income Growth Been Effective in Reducing Poverty and Inequality in Latin America?	21	(20)
Alain de Janvry
Elisabeth Sadoulet
Social Protection for the Unemployed: Programs in Latin America	41	(22)
Gustavo Marquez
Heterogeneity and Optimal Unemployment Insurance	63	(28)
Hugo A. Hopenhayn
Juan Pablo Nicolini
Helping the Poor Manage Risk Better: The Role of Social Funds	91	(18)
Steen Lau Jorgensen
Julie Van Domelen
Insuring the Economic Costs of Illness	109	(40)
Paul Gertler
Coverage under Old Age Security Programs and Protection for the Uninsured: What Are the Issues?	149	(26)
Estelle James
Social Assistance on Pensions and Health Care for the Poor in Latin America and the Caribbean	175	(42)
Carmelo Mesa-Lago
The Safety Net Role of Microfinance for Income and Consumption Smoothing	217	(22)
Manfred Zeller
Consumption Smoothing and Extended Families: The Role of Government-Sponsored Insurance	239	(28)
Orazio Attanasio
Jose-Victor Rios-Rull
Social Protection for the Poor in the Developed World	267	(42)
Timothy M. Smeeding
Katherin Ross Phillips
Authors	309	(2)
Index	311