This two-week "core course" aims to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of the conceptual and practical issues involved in the development of individual safety net programs and full safety net systems that protect poor and vulnerable population groups from income risk, link them to essential social services and help them escape poverty.
The role of social safety nets has been magnified during the recent food, fuel and financial crisis. The course builds on the latest research findings by the World Bank and other academic and research institutions and reflects the most recent practical experience in the Safety net delivery worldwide - from advanced to middle income, low income countries to fragile states.
Participants will have the opportunity to present and discuss challenging social safety net issues in their own country, and work toward solutions with other participants and experts.
The course is based on the latest World Bank knowledge including the long-standing Safety Net Primer Series, several new flagship publications, as well as a host of new information that emanated from the various responses to the recent food, fuel and financial crisis. These include:
The course adopts a mix of learning methods, including presentations, exercises and group work. The course is taught by experts from the World Bank, top academic and research institutions, and other leading agencies. This course comprises four interrelated and complementary topics:
Justification of social safety nets and their fit in the wider development policy;
Choice of instruments;
Implementation systems; and
How these vary by country settings and economic conditions.
This year's course was designed to help policymakers, development professionals, social partners, and academics grapple with key questions dealing not only with the design and implementation of individual safety net interventions but also policy implications including the making of an integrated safety net system, as well as new development in activation and graduation programs for safety nets beneficiaries. Just as a sampling, the course will consider:
What is the role of social safety nets in the broader policy agenda? How recent political initiatives, such as rights-based approach to social protection, affect the agenda for strengthening safety nets?
How can safety nets support growth? How safety nets can become productive?
How can they provide immediate redistribution and poverty reduction, allow governments to make better policy choices in a number of areas, and households to make better choices for present and future livelihoods?
What role did safety nets play during the recent crises and what types of interventions were most effective?
How much should countries spend on safety nets, how to find the fiscal space and how to manage the challenges that arise when more than one level of government is involved in the finance and/or delivery of safety net programs?
What are the tools and methods used to undertake a solid diagnosis to assess the need for safety nets, their size, target groups, individual interventions, and program mix?
What are key safety nets interventions and how do they apply under different country settings?
Under which circumstances to use Conditional Cash Transfer programs and what lessons we have learned from rigorous impact evaluations of these programs across the world?
How to design and implement a cost effective and efficient targeting system? How to reflect multi-dimensional characteristics of poverty in setting up targeting?
How to set the benefit level and establish the necessary supporting services?
What are the lessons learned from programs designed to help households escape poverty (graduation agenda)? What are the lessons from the experience of integrating active labor market policies and safety nets?
How to set an effective monitoring system and how to control for fraud, error and corruption?
What are the tools and methods used to evaluate social programs?
And many more...
The following are quotes from previous Core Course participants:
“I admire the richness of the presenters’ knowledge, experience and insights.”
“The sessions were all good. The combination of theory and practical examples of on the ground experiences.”
“The presentations were dynamic and the speakers are knowledgeable about the topics presented…”
“Drawing on rich experience from different speakers from across the world, country specific illustrations and references in addition to informative content added much value to the learning.”
“The approach in the presentations was provocative and challenging, and the discussions that resulted from undertaking the exercise was very helpful.”
“I liked the fact that I can identify with the subject matter and place my country as an example in most parts of the presentations.”
“Learning to map the SSN programs at the macro level and learning the criteria of how to assess the effectiveness of a SSN.”
“Responsiveness to feedback and thorough consideration of questions. Thanks for an excellent week.”
“An overall picture of the effect of the global crisis and intervention and its effect on a country’s SSNs.”
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