This paper reviews the role of safety nets in transition economies within the context of a social risk management framework. The report discusses the objectives of safety nets, the legacyof pre-transition programs, developments during the transition period, strategic choices facing countries,...

The main objective of this paper is to review the regulatory framework for pension funds, and examine whether there is scope for improvements in pension regulation, particularly in light of regulatory and supervisory developments in the banking industry. The report is structured as follows: The...

This paper reviews the Chilean experience in dealing with the issue of integration of local, and regional governments into the poverty alleviation programs carried out through the Chilean Social Fund (FOSIS). FOSIS was created in 1990 by the first democratically elected government that took...

Countries around the world are reforming their pension systems. Most are reforming to reduce thefiscal costs of their existing pension systems. A few young countries are establishing new systems or are increasing the generosity of their current systems, although perhaps not always taking into...

Although there has been a considerable amount of legislation aimed at marital rights in several countries in recent decades, the implications for women's labor supply has been a comparatively neglected area. In this report, the authors use insights from the economics of marriage , including...

Beneficiary assessment is a qualitative research tool, used to improve the impact of development operations, by gaining the views of intended beneficiaries regarding a planned, or ongoing intervention. This manual provides guidance for Bank, and social fund staff, on how to design, and implement...

The World Bank's operations in labor markets are reviewed in this report. The findings show that lending in labor markets has increased significantly in the last four years. The Bank supported close to 950 projects in FY92 to FY96. An examination of the 941 project reports approved during this...

There is increasing concern about the vulnerability of poor and near-poor rural households, who have limited capabilities to manage risk and often resort to strategies that can lead to a vicious cycle of poverty. Household-related risk is ususally considered individual or private, but measures...

This report examines unemployment protection with emphasis on three groups of countries: 1) OECD, 2) Central-East Europe and the Former Soviet Union; and 3) East and South Asia. Section 1 notes the presence of various public social protection programs including pensions, work injury insurance,...

This report provides a description of the diversity of current policies towards the family across the European Union and an account of the current"state of the art"on the effects of these policies on demographic and labor market behavior. There is an implicit assumption that the tax and benefit...