CPD Policy Brief 2020 (2)
Social Protection Floors
A Preliminary Cost Estimation for Bangladesh
Effective beneficiary targeting has been a weakness of safety net programmes in Bangladesh. Universal social protection resolves the problem of beneficiary targeting by simply including all relevant individuals under the aegis of social protection. In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 1.3 by 2030, Bangladesh needs to upgrade its social safety net programmes (SSNPs) and national social security strategy (NSSS) immediately. The most important and transformational step in reforming Bangladesh’s safety net programmes would be to shift away from random and discretionary programmes and towards universal social protection. In this context, this policy brief presents a preliminary estimation of the cost of providing universal social protection floors in Bangladesh. It is hoped that this exercise will drive the discourse on universal social protection floors in Bangladesh, which are likely to play an instrumental role in ensuring that no one is left behind.
Author: Fahmida Khatun and Syed Yusuf Saadat
Publication period: May 2020