Levels and Patterns of Safety Net Spending in Developing and Transition Countries
This paper offers a new set of data compiled from individual World Bank country reports and covering 87 developing and transition countries during 1996-2006. The findings show that mean spending on safety nets is 1.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and median spending is 1.4 percent of GDP across developing and transition countries. For about half of these countries, spending falls between 1 and 2 percent of GDP. Some variation is apparent. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, and Tajikistan, for example, spend considerably less than 1 percent of GDP, while spending on social safety nets in Ethiopia and Malawi is nearly 4.5 percent of GDP because international aid is counted, but would be more like 0.5 percent if only domestically financed spending were counted. Other high-spending countries, Mauritius, South Africa, and the Slovak Republic, finance their safety nets domestically. Spending on safety nets is less variable than spending on social protection or the social sectors.
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Language: | English |
Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2009-01
|
Subjects: | CALCULATIONS, CASH TRANSFERS, DEMOCRACY, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, EXTERNAL FINANCING, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, IN KIND TRANSFERS, INCOME, INEQUALITY, INFORMAL TRANSFERS, INTERNATIONAL AID, INVENTORY, LOW-INCOME, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, PENSIONS, POOR, POWER PARITY, PRICE SUBSIDIES, PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, PURCHASING POWER, SAFETY, SAFETY NET, SAFETY NET PROGRAMS, SAFETY NETS, SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, SOCIAL INSURANCE, SOCIAL PROTECTION, SOCIAL SAFETY NET, SOCIAL SAFETY NETS, SOCIAL SECURITY, SOCIAL SPENDING, TRANSITION COUNTRIES, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, WORKS PROGRAMS, |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/01/10283058/levels-patterns-safety-net-spending-developing-transition-countries https://hdl.handle.net/10986/11739 |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | This paper offers a new set of data
compiled from individual World Bank country reports and
covering 87 developing and transition countries during
1996-2006. The findings show that mean spending on safety
nets is 1.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and
median spending is 1.4 percent of GDP across developing and
transition countries. For about half of these countries,
spending falls between 1 and 2 percent of GDP. Some
variation is apparent. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, and
Tajikistan, for example, spend considerably less than 1
percent of GDP, while spending on social safety nets in
Ethiopia and Malawi is nearly 4.5 percent of GDP because
international aid is counted, but would be more like 0.5
percent if only domestically financed spending were counted.
Other high-spending countries, Mauritius, South Africa, and
the Slovak Republic, finance their safety nets domestically.
Spending on safety nets is less variable than spending on
social protection or the social sectors. |
---|