Helping South Asia Cope with Natural Disasters : The Role of Social Protection

Addressing the social protection needs of households during emergencies is a major development issue. Without social protection measures, such as cash transfers for basic needs or workfare programs, many households faced with large economic and nat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:	ACCOUNTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS BANK ACCOUNTS BANKING SYSTEMS BANKS BENEFICIARIES BENEFICIARY BENEFIT LEVELS BLANKETS BUDGET CONSTRAINTS CAPACITY BUILDING CASH AID CASH ASSISTANCE CASH DISBURSEMENT CASH GRANT CASH GRANTS CASH SUPPORT CASH TRANSFER CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMS CASH TRANSFERS CASUALTY CASUALTY TOLL CHRONIC POVERTY CHRONICALLY POOR CONDITIONAL CASH CONFLICT CONFLICT SITUATIONS CONTINGENCY PLANNING DAMAGED HOUSE DAMAGES DEATH TOLL DISABILITY GRANTS DISABILITY PAYMENTS DISABILITY PENSIONS DISASTER ACTIVITIES DISASTER ASSISTANCE DISASTER MANAGEMENT DISASTER PLANNING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS DISASTER REDUCTION DISASTER RELIEF DISASTER RESPONSE DISASTER RISK DISASTER SITUATIONS DISASTER TYPES DISASTER VICTIMS DOCUMENTS DONOR SUPPORT DROUGHT DROUGHTS EARTHQUAKE EARTHQUAKE RECONSTRUCTION EARTHQUAKES ECONOMIC CRISES ECONOMIC CRISIS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA EMERGENCIES EMERGENCY OPERATIONS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EMERGENCY RECOVERY EMERGENCY RESPONSE EMERGENCY SITUATIONS EMERGENCY SUPPORT EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE EPIDEMICS FAMINE FAMINES FARMERS FATALITIES FINANCIAL CRISIS FINANCIAL SUPPORT FIRES FLOOD FLOODED FLOODS FOOD AID FOOD INSECURITY FOOD RATIONS FOOD SECURITY FOOD SHORTAGE FOOD-FOR-WORK GRANT PROGRAM HOMELESS HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE IMMEDIATE RELIEF IMPACT OF DISASTER INCOME INCOME LOSS INCOME LOSSES INCOME SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL WELFARE INFLATION INFORMAL ECONOMY INFORMATION SYSTEMS INFRASTRUCTURE REHABILITATION INSECT INFESTATION INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY INSURANCE IRRIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE LABOR MARKETS LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT LIVING CONDITIONS LIVING STANDARDS LOCAL GOVERNMENT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS LOSS OF INCOME MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS MARKET PRICES MICRO-CREDIT MINIMUM INCOME MORAL HAZARD NATURAL DISASTER NATURAL DISASTERS NUMBER OF VICTIMS PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES POOR POVERTY LINE POVERTY REDUCTION PROTECTION AGENCY PROTECTION MECHANISMS PROTECTION POLICY PROTECTION SYSTEM PUBLIC ACTION RECONSTRUCTION RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT REFUGEE POPULATION RELIEF EFFORTS RESCUE RESOURCE ALLOCATION RESPONSE TO CRISES RISK MANAGEMENT RISK MITIGATION SAFETY SAFETY NET SAFETY NET PROGRAMS SAFETY NETS SCHOOL MEALS SOCIAL ASSISTANCE SOCIAL CARE SOCIAL PENSIONS SOCIAL PROTECTION SOCIAL SAFETY NETS SOCIAL SECURITY SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAMS SOCIAL WELFARE SUPPLEMENTARY FEEDING SURVIVOR TARGETING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TECHNICAL TRAINING TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT TENTS TRANSACTION COSTS TRANSFER AMOUNT TRANSFER BENEFICIARIES TRANSFER PROGRAM TRANSFER RECIPIENTS TRANSPORT TSUNAMI TSUNAMI RECOVERY TYPE OF DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT UNINSURED RISK UNSKILLED LABOR VICTIMS VULNERABLE GROUP VULNERABLE GROUPS VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS WAGES WAR WATER CONTAINERS WIDOWS WIND STORM WIND STORMS WORK INCENTIVES WORK PROGRAM WORK PROGRAMS WORKFARE
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/09/12586818/helping-south-asia-cope-natural-disasters-role-social-protection http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18014

Description
Summary:	Addressing the social protection needs of households during emergencies is a major development issue. Without social protection measures, such as cash transfers for basic needs or workfare programs, many households faced with large economic and natural shocks might deplete their human and physical capital, reducing their ability to participate in economic development. Social protection measures (cash transfers, in particular) are therefore assuming a growing role in the World Bank to help the poor cope with the aftermath of a disaster. In South Asia, all three recent major emergency-related operations in South Asia (Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Pakistan) included cash transfers components. This discussion paper, an input to the South Asia region's social protection and hazard risk management strategies, describes the cash transfer instruments supported by the Bank in South Asia, evaluates their design and implementation, and suggests improvements to increase their effectiveness. Based on available evidence, the paper finds that cash transfers appear to have performed well in providing relief to affected households, suggesting that they should remain an integral part of Bank-financed support for natural disasters. The paper also suggests that the Bank can ensure timely and high-quality support through a best-practice design toolkit, a right-on-time technical assistance facility, and by integrating social protection in emergency preparedness by building the capacity of national social assistance (cash transfers) agencies to respond to natural disasters. Although the focus is on cash transfers, the note also discusses other types of social protection mechanisms used in emergencies in South Asia and worldwide, e.g., workfare or social care for the vulnerable, and which might also appropriate for including in Bank emergency operations. The note covers South Asia, but lessons from this region may also be relevant for governments of other developing countries and donors. Finally, while the focus of the paper is on social protection instruments for natural disasters, several of these instruments have also proved useful in post-conflict situations and in economic crises.

Helping South Asia Cope with Natural Disasters : The Role of Social Protection

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