Activation for Poverty Reduction : Realizing the Potential of Armenia’s Social Safety Nets

Morgandi, Matteo; Posadas, Josefina; Damerau, Tomas

Activation for Poverty Reduction : Realizing the Potential of Armenia’s Social Safety Nets

2014

Morgandi, Matteo | Posadas, Josefina | Damerau, Tomas

Since the peak of the economic crisis, poverty reduction in Armenia has made limited progress, withpoverty rates moving from 34.1 percent in 2009 to 32 percent in 2013. This slow pace has been mirroredby the limited progress of the labor market (LM), particularly in terms of job-creation. In 2013, about 36percent of people worked in the agricultural sector, and about half of all workers earned wages throughinformal jobs.These conditions highlight the need to have a robust social protection (SP) system that not only offersadequate protection to people living in poverty but can also serve as a tool to increase the quality ofhuman capital, which in turn can help improve their economic opportunities. The government ofArmenia (GoA) has shown a clear interest in building its infrastructure to deliver SP services throughintegrated social service centers as a means to better harness its investment in SP. Its vision is toultimately implement an integrated social policy that personalizes interventions and tries to addressmultiple constraints that people face when trying to escape poverty— not only through the provision ofcash benefits.The objective of this policy note is twofold. First, it provides a diagnostic of the SP system in order toidentify the key issues that could be addressed to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency to achievegreater poverty reduction. Second, the note outlines a set of options—policies and reforms—for theGoA to consider as it continues to strengthen its poverty-reduction strategy. It is important to note thatthe focus of the report is on social assistance (SA) and LM policies for vulnerable groups. Other keyaspects of SP—such as pensions, labor regulations, or the functioning of the LM as a whole—are notaddressed in this report, and they have been the subject of extensive analysis elsewhere.

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AGROVOC Keywords

cash transfers child health economic growth family allowances health services household income human resources income insurance living conditions living standards malnutrition old age pension pensions poverty poverty reduction public services public works risk mitigation savings social insurance social policies social protection social safety nets social security social services social welfare social workers subsidies targeting taxation unemployment welfare

Bibliographic information

Publisher

World Bank, Washington, DC

Other Subjects

Social benefits; Household level; Program designs; Wage worker; Single parent; Safety nets; Tax credits; Hourly earnings; Vulnerable group; Single parents; Beneficiary; Social pension; Ssn; Public support; Poverty line; Temporary shocks; Transient shocks; Household size; Employment benefits; Support program; Unemployment benefits; Marginal tax rate; Wage subsidy; Risks; Social assistance; School attendance; Formal income; Loss of employment; Safety net; Income shocks; Preventive health; Program coverage; Medical expenses; Vulnerable populations; Household composition; Cash benefits; Municipal works; Poor; Household poverty; Measures; Labor demand; Food stamps; Informal workers; Vulnerable households; Disability allowance; Unemployment benefit; Social service; Assistance programs; Birth grant; Cash transfer programs; Access to services; New deal; Disability pensions; Welfare states; Family benefit; Social risk; Marginal tax rates; Work incentives; Labor supply; Productive assets; Welfare programs; Public resources; Cash benefit; Conditional cash; Labor market programs; Eligibility requirements; Home care; Income support; Disability benefits; Vulnerable groups; Food policy; Transfers; Financial crisis; Means test; Cash transfer; Means tests; School enrollment; Child allowances; Transfer programs; Transfer program; Political economy; Social programs; Poverty levels; Unskilled jobs; Social policy; Minimum wage; Eligibility criteria; Formal employment; Transition countries; Social rehabilitation; Poverty lines; Minimum income; Health clinics; Emergency assistance; Vulnerable individuals; Protection system; International food policy; Family benefits; Technical assistance; Social safety net; Benefit system; Financial support; Participation rate; Conditional transfer; Number of children; Household incomes; Social worker; Beneficiaries; Household needs; Economic crisis; Means testing; Public spending; Universal health; Program eligibility; Subsidy

License

CC BY 3.0 IGO. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. World Bank

Type

Report; Economic & Sector Work; Economic & Sector Work :: Policy Note

In AGRIS since: 2022-09-15

Format: AGRIS AP

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Links

http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22406 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/07/24833379/activation-poverty-reduction-realizing-potential-armenia’s-social-safety-nets

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