Assessing Safety Net Readiness in Response to Food Price Volatility

Andrews, Colin; Grosh, Margaret; Quintana, Rodrigo; Rodriguez-Alas, Claudia

Assessing Safety Net Readiness in Response to Food Price Volatility

2011

Andrews, Colin | Grosh, Margaret | Quintana, Rodrigo | Rodriguez-Alas, Claudia

In 2008, when food prices rose precipitously to record highs, international attention and local policy in many countries focused on safety nets as part of the response. Now that food prices are high again, the issue of appropriate responses is again on the policy agenda. This note sets out a framework for making quick, qualitative assessments of how well countries' safety nets prepare them for a rapid policy response to rising food prices should the situation warrant. The framework is applied using data from spring 2011, presenting a snap?shot analysis of what is a dynamically changing situation. Based on this data safety net readiness is assessed in 13 vulnerable countries based on the following criteria: the presence of safety net programs, program coverage, administrative capacity, and to a lesser degree, targeting effectiveness. It is argued that these criteria will remain the same throughout time, even if the sample countries affected will be expected to vary. Based on this analysis the note highlights that though a number of countries are more prepared than they were in 2008, there is still a significant medium term agenda on safety net preparedness in the face of crisis. In this context, strategic lessons from the 2008 food crisis response are presented to better understand the response options and challenges facing governments and policy makers. The note concludes by calling for continued investment and scale up of safety nets to mitigate poverty impacts and help prevent long term setbacks in nutrition and poverty.

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AGROVOC Keywords

agricultural land capacity building capacity development cassava cereals climate change developing countries dietary diversity drought emergency feeding exchange rate food aid food consumption food security food stocks foods fortified foods health services human capital income income transfers maize malnutrition nutritional status nutritional supplements pension poverty reduction price volatility public debt public works rice rural areas rural employment rural poor rural population school feeding shock social development social policies social protection social welfare soybeans staple foods subsistence sugar targeting unemployment wheat

Bibliographic information

Publisher

World Bank, Washington, DC

Other Subjects

Tax; Household food insecurity; Employment program; Minimum wages; Technical capacity; Income on food; Food subsidy; Household survey; Chronic poverty; Financial services; Home rations; Height for age; Social service; Food price subsidies; Work program; Poverty line; Conflict; Rural regions; Purchasing power; Food consumption patterns; Economic crisis; Income shocks; Client countries; Poor areas; Country risk; Employment assistance; Beneficiary; Fee waivers; Social pensions; Consumption basket; Food needs; Cash payment; Security risk; School feeding programs; Household welfare; Social fund; Income support; Agricultural laborers; Food price inflation; Food items; Poor people; Child benefits; Chronically poor; Support program; Resource constraints; Grains; Cash benefit; Vulnerable group; Inflation rate; Ssn; Human development; Coping strategies; Malnourished children; Targeting mechanisms; Assistance programs; Micronutrient supplementation; Cash transfer; Cash social assistance; Food commodities; Benefit levels; Eligibility criteria; Caloric intake; Nutrition programs; Administrative costs; Exposure; Means testing; Food for work; Client base; Access to food; Future price; Poor; Works program; Food basket; Track records; Poverty impact; Financial crisis; Rising inequality; Productive assets; Food price; Technical assistance; Price risks; World food program; Investment decisions; New poor; Qualitative assessments; Medical insurance; Employment guarantee; Credit facility; Temporary jobs; Rural households; Micronutrient deficiencies; World development indicators; Poor groups; Political economy; Food imports; Food policy; Unemployment benefits; Fiscal risk; Loss of employment; Welfare law; Prenatal care; Program coverage; Vouchers; Food on credit; Information system; Transfer program; Transactions costs; Inequality; Domestic price; Payment system; Safety net; Schooling; Grain reserves; Safeguards; Conditional cash; Extremely poor households; Rural access; Access to services; Poor families; Food stamp; Humanitarian assistance; Poor household; Poverty rates; Poor countries; Safety net system; Poor populations; Means test; Safety net programs; Universal benefits; School attendance; Protection system; Targeted transfers; Social assistance; Vulnerable people; Food distribution; Universal transfer; Food staples; Health centers; Ration shops; International market; Public works programs; Workfare; Data availability; Rural; Atm cards; Health interventions; Child allowances; Social transfers; Employment guarantee scheme; Disability pensions; Fiscal deficits; Commodity prices; Commodity; Food rations; Rural districts; Institutional capacity; Social safety net; Cash transfer programs; Transitory income; Assistance payments; Flat rate

Language

English

Format

application/pdf, text/plain

License

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

Type

Working Paper; Document De Travail; Documento De Trabajo

In AGRIS since: 2024-10-18

Modification date: 2025-05-23

Format: Dublin Core

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