Shielding the Poor: Social Protection in the Developing World

Abstract

Shielding the Poor presents a group of studies on social protection in the developing world from leading researchers. These studies address the issue of vulnerability of the poor to adverse shocks and propose policies to increase their protection and coping capacity. The studies emphasize the need for building permanent institutional structures that help reduce and manage the risks that households face as part of a coherent long-term strategy to reduce poverty and promote social equity. The articles included in this book were presented at the conference, "Social Protection and Poverty," held at the Inter-American Development Bank in February, 1999 in Washington, DC.