Social protection can be defined as interventions intended to assist individuals, households, and communities in managing risk in order to reduce vulnerability, smooth consumption, and improve equity. Social protection in Togo has been put to test by the political and economic developments of the last decade, which have seen living conditionsdecline sharply as a result of a deteriorating economy, government's inability to provide basic social services, and repeated political crises. The document proposes a) a definition of social protection meaningful to the Togolese, to be adopted by the Bank in its work in Togo; b) criteria to analyze and classify social protection mechanisms and a description of such mechanism; c) an assessment of the effectiveness of different social protection mechanisms, and a discussion of the relationship of social capital and gender; d) suggestions for a comprehensive social protection strategy to be considered by the Togolese government as well as for World Bank contribution. Togo is the first country in Africa with which the Bank develops a social protection strategy, this work will be a test of the conceptual framework for social protection in a low-income country and will contribute to the formulation of a Bank-wide social protection strategy.
