Weaving the Safety Net

Policy makers and sector specialists need to choose the right mix of safety net policies and programs to meet national goals related to reducing poverty and vulnerability as set out in national or sector strategies. 

Our vision of a good safety net system is one that addresses the needs of the poor and vulnerable in a given country that is adequate, equitable, cost-effective, incentive compatible, sustainable, and dynamic and that is well adapted to the country s circumstances and constraints. 

Such assessments are useful whenever significant reforms are contemplated or new needs arise. Moreover, they are warranted periodically because old strategies may become obsolete as new problems and priorities emerge, or simply because the world has learned how to solve old problems In more efficient ways. 

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