To What Extent Does the Existing Safety Net Protect the Poor?

The objective of social protection policies is to help families, individuals and communities with the prevention and mitigation of social and economic risks. Social protection policies are a range of public interventions to support the poor and vulnerable, and assist families, individuals and communities to better manage social and economic risks. The objective of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of the Kyrgyz social safety net in protecting the poor using data from the 2008 Kyrgyz Integrated Household Survey (KIHS). The analysis focuses on non-contributory social benefits targeted to poor and vulnerable households. The next section provides an overview of the current system of social benefits and recent reforms. Section three presents the results of the empirical analysis, focusing on coverage, distribution, adequacy and impact of the current non-contributory social transfers. Section four discusses the potential impact of the reform and further challenges