Social Protection, Gender, and Poverty: Application of Social Protection Index

ABSTRACT

Literature on social protection, inequality, and poverty suggest that social protection programs are the policy tool for the eradication of poverty and inequality. The exact targeting of beneficiaries is the most important pillar behind the success of every social protection schemes. Asian Development Bank introduced Revised Social Protection Index in 2010, which is used by several studies for the evaluation of social protection schemes. The current study estimates the revised social protection index of Pakistan for the years 2011 and 2013. During 2011, the average per capita expenditure on social protection was 5.1% of the poverty line expenditure, whereas during 2013, average per capita expenditure on social protection was 5.3% of the poverty line expenditure. The disaggregated form of social protection index indicates that the coverage of social protection programs are low in Pakistan. The expenditures on social protection programs are high for the non-poor and very low for poor. The gender-based disaggregated form of social protection index shows that women have a lower value of social protection index than do males.

KEYWORDS:

• Poverty
• social protection
• social protection index

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Dr Nasir (Director BISP) for his suggestions and support towards data access.

Notes

¹ This is the old social protection index that was revised by the ADB in 2010. For detailed discussion on old and revised social protection index see Aguzzoni (2011).

² These studies include Baulch et al. (2006), Asian Development Bank (ADB) (2008), Kabeer (2010), Aguzzoni (2011), and McKinley and Handayani (2013).