Safety Nets in Contexts of Violence, Fragility and Forced Displacement
The rapid expansion of social safety nets in contexts affected by violence, fragility and forced displacement raises questions about whether such programs can relieve the worst forms of insecurity and vulnerability in affected communities. To answer this question, the authors analyze 394 qualitative interviews from Burkina Faso and Cameroon (West and Central Africa). As the first study of its kind conducting cross-country comparative research in varied security contexts, the authors posit three channels – material, social, and political – through which social protection can shape experiences of violence, fragility and forced displacement. The authors found that social assistance, or social safety nets, built resilience by smoothing consumption and relieving the pressure of unanticipated shocks while programs were ongoing. However, because many of the most vulnerable inhabitants directed transfer spending towards immediate subsistence needs, safety nets rarely resulted in additional income-generating opportunities or enduring material effects beyond the program’s conclusion. Although trends diverged across regions and security contexts, the authors identified tentative evidence of social and political effects, in the form of expanded social networks, cohesion and interdependence among some beneficiary groups, and greater confidence in existing institutions when beneficiaries attributed the safety net to the government. The authors examined these impacts across regions facing distinct levels and types of insecurity.
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| Format: | Working Paper (Numbered Series) biblioteca |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2024-08-21
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| Subjects: | SAFETY NETS, SOCIAL PROTECTION AND GROWTH, CASH TRANSFERS, VIOLENCE PREVENTION, FRAGILITY, CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE, TYPE OF BENEFITS, SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, SOCIAL COHESION, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, POVERTY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, INCLUSIVE GROWTH, GENDER, GENDER AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL PROTECTION AND LABOR, NO POVERTY, SDG 1, DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, SDG 8, GENDER EQUALITY, SDG 5, SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES, SDG 11, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099424008122476549/IDU1b286f1d01993814929190e7124a802c8a082 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42067 |
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