Safety Nets in Middle-Income Countries

The label middle income hides a great deal of heterogeneity among countries, and often within individual countries. Income per capita varies from US 1,000 in Azerbaijan to 

Macroeconomic shocks have been a significant feature for many countries, for example, the 1997 financial crisis in East Asia and its spillover effects, crises in Russia and Turkey, and repeated debt or financial crises in Latin America. These shocks have been influential in shaping safety net policy in a number of the countries, with many current safety net programs having begun as initiatives to ameliorate crises. 

FOR PROTECTION AND PROMOTION THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE SAFETY NETS 

Complete safety nets cover the chronic poor, those hit hy shocks, and those with special vulnerabilities. Few middle-income countries have achieved full coverage in all three areas in general, the programs for the chronic poor are the best developed. 

A needs-based cash transfer may integrate coverage of all age groups or be complemented by separate child allowances or social pensions, possibly using the same administrative apparatus. Cold countries might provide a seasonal heating allowance using es- 

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