Program Interventions

A variety of different programs can be used to provide assistance to households living in poverty, and to help them deal with the impact of shocks. They range from social assistance in the traditional form of cash transfers to programs such as in-kind transfers, public works programs or fee waivers or even price subsidies.

Materials on the experience with and the how-to of these programs can be accessed through the following sections of the website:

Cash Transfers		Microfinance
Conditional Cash Transfers		Public Works
Fee Waivers for Health Services		Price & Other Subsidies
Fee Waivers for Other Services		School Feeding Programs
Food-related Programs		Social Funds

In Focus: World Bank Social Safety Net Project Breakdown (2002-2007)

The World Bank supports a range of program interventions across its portfolio of operations.  Figure 1 illustrates the breakdown of program interventions from 2002 to 2007. The type of programs used, their objectives, their design specifics, and their implementation vary depending on a country’s level of development; the amount of resources the country allocates to social programs, and the regional characteristics. For further country and context specific information, please see "Levels and Patterns of Safety Net Spending in Developing and Transition Countries" (618kb pdf).