Liberia's Cash for Work Temporary Employment Project : Responding to Crisis in Low Income, Fragile Countries

Together with reductions in indirect taxes on food imports, cash for work programs were one of the main responses implemented by African governments following the food, fuel, and financial crisis of recent years. The main objective of those programs was to help the poor cope with the various shocks by increasing their net earnings through community-level work paid for under the programs. Yet it is unclear whether these cash for work programs indeed reached their intended beneficiaries and to what degree they generated other, potentially long-term beneficial impacts. This paper explores these issues in the context of Liberia and the performance of the Cash for Work Temporary Employment Program (CfWTEP) funded by the World Bank through an emergency crisis facility in response to the 2007/2008 food crisis. Both quantitative and qualitative data are presented, focusing on the operational and policy experiences emerging from program implementation. This paper analyzes the context that led to the creation and implementation of the CfWTEP in Liberia, the nature and administrative arrangements for the program, and its operational performance. The objective is to share the lessons learned from evaluation findings so that they can be useful for implementing similar programs in the future in Liberia itself or in other countries. Findings from the analysis highlight the possibilities of implementing public works program in low capacity, post conflict setting and the scope for using the program as a springboard towards a broader and more comprehensive social safety net.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Andrews, Colin, Backiny-Yetna, Prospere, Garin, Emily, Weedon, Emily, Wodon, Quentin, Zampaglione, Giuseppe
Format:	Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2011-07
Subjects:	ABSOLUTE POVERTY, ACCOUNTING, ADMINISTRATIVE DATA, AGRICULTURAL LAND, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AMOUNT OF MONEY, AVERAGE WAGES, BANKING SERVICES, BARGAINING, BARGAINING POWER, BENEFICIARY, BENEFIT LEVEL, BEST PRACTICES, CALCULATION, CASH PAYMENTS, CASH TRANSFER, CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS, CHILD CARE, CITIES, COMMERCIAL BANK, COMMODITY, COMMUNITY ASSETS, COMMUNITY HEALTH, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, COMMUNITY LEADERS, COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, COMMUNITY SERVICE, COMMUNITY WORKS, CONDITIONAL CASH, CONFLICT, CONSUMPTION SMOOTHING, COST EFFECTIVENESS, COUNTERFACTUAL, CRIME, CRISES, CROWDING OUT, CURRENCY, DAILY WAGE, DEBT, DEBT REPAYMENT, DESCRIPTION, DISABILITY, DISPLACEMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, EMPLOYMENT PROJECT, EMPLOYMENT SCHEME, EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, EXCHANGE RATE, EXTREME POVERTY, EXTREME POVERTY LINE, FAMILY MEMBER, FARMERS, FARMLAND, FEMALE, FEMALE PARTICIPATION, FEMALE WORKERS, FINANCES, FINANCIAL BENEFITS, FINANCIAL CRISIS, FINANCIAL LITERACY, FINANCIAL LITERACY EDUCATION, FINANCIAL TOOLS, FOOD CONSUMPTION, FOOD IMPORTS, FOOD INSECURITY, FOOD PRICE, FOOD PRICES, FOOD SECURITY, FUTURE EARNINGS, GENDER, GOVERNMENT CAPACITY, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, INCOME, INCOME GAINS, INCOME TAX, INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES, INSURANCE POLICIES, INTERVENTION, INTERVENTIONS, INVESTING, JOB TRAINING, LABOR COSTS, LABOR FORCE, LABOR LAWS, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKET PROGRAMS, LABOR SUPPLY, LABORERS, LEVEL OF NEED, LIFE SKILLS, LIMITED ACCESS, LIMITED CAPACITY, LITERACY, LIVING CONDITIONS, LIVING EXPENSES, LIVING STANDARDS, LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, LOW COST, LOW INCOME, LOW-INCOME, MARKET PRICES, MARKET WAGE, MINIMUM WAGE, MONEY MANAGEMENT, MONTHLY PAYMENTS, NATIONAL POVERTY, NATIONAL POVERTY LINE, NATURAL DISASTERS, NUTRITION, NUTRITION SECURITY, OCCUPATIONS, OLDER INDIVIDUALS, OLDER WORKERS, OPPORTUNITY COSTS, OUTPUTS, PARTICIPATION RATE, PARTICIPATIONS, PAYMENT SCHEDULE, PENSION, PENSION ENTITLEMENTS, POLITICAL ECONOMY, POOR, POOR COMMUNITIES, POOR INFRASTRUCTURE, POVERTY GAP, POVERTY IMPACT, POVERTY LEVEL, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY REDUCTION, POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY, POVERTY TRAPS, PRODUCTIVITY, PROGRAM COVERAGE, PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY, PROGRAM WAGES, PROTECTION POLICY, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PUBLIC PENSIONS, PUBLIC PROVISION, PUBLIC RESOURCE, PUBLIC SERVICES, PUBLIC WORKS, PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMS, PURCHASES, QUESTIONNAIRE, REHABILITATION OF SCHOOLS, REMOTE AREAS, REMOTE COMMUNITIES, RESOURCE ALLOCATION, RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS, ROAD REHABILITATION, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL COMMUNITIES, RURAL FEMALE, RURAL WAGES, SAFETY, SAFETY NET PROGRAMS, SAFETY NETS, SALARY, SAVINGS, SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, SCHOOL FEEDING, SCHOOL FEES, SELECTION CRITERIA, SEVERANCE PAY, SKILLED WORKERS, SKILLS TRAINING, SMALLHOLDER FARMERS, SOCIAL BENEFITS, SOCIAL FUNDS, SOCIAL INSURANCE, SOCIAL POLICY, SOCIAL PROTECTION, SOCIAL SAFETY NET, SOCIAL SECURITY, SOCIAL SERVICE, SOCIAL WELFARE, STAKEHOLDER, STAKEHOLDERS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, TARGETING, TARGETING MECHANISMS, TECHNICAL SKILLS, TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT, TEMPORARY JOBS, TRAININGS, TRANSACTION, TYPE OF WORK, UNEMPLOYED, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNSKILLED LABOR, UNSKILLED WORK, UNSKILLED WORKERS, URBAN AREAS, URBAN COMMUNITIES, VALUABLE, VULNERABLE CHILDREN, VULNERABLE FAMILIES, VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS, VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS, WAGE DIFFERENTIALS, WAGE RATE, WAR, WELFARE INDICATORS, WELFARE PROGRAMS, WORK PROGRAM, WORK PROJECTS, WORKFARE, WORKING HOURS, WORKS PROGRAM, YOUNG CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE, YOUTH,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/944591468330003696/Liberias-Cash-for-Work-Temporary-Employment-Project-responding-to-crisis-in-low-income-fragile-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/27368
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!