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...

People with disabilities face many of the challenges that other vulnerable groups face, such as lack of adequate support services in their communities, lack of resources and economic opportunities, and physical and attitudinal barriers to their participating fully in society. One of the...

This paper is intended to provide task managers and World Bank Group clients working on Social Safety Net (SSN) programs with practical and systematic ways to use information management practices to mitigate risks by strengthening control and accountability mechanisms. It lays out practices and...

A growing number of countries have introduced mandatory defined contribution schemes. As these schemes mature, their success will increasingly depend on how well they translate accumulated funds into a stream of retirement income. Successful reforms will rely on a well regulated, and competitive...

In this paper the authors estimate the rate of return to firm investments in human capital in the form of formal job training. The authors use a panel of large firms with detailed information on the duration of training, the direct costs of training, and several firm characteristics. The authors...

The authors study the effect of enforcement of labor regulation in Brazil, an economy with a large informal sector and strict labor law. Enforcement affects mainly the degree of compliance with mandated benefits (severance pay, health, and safety) in the formal sector and the registration of...

Although availability of quantitative information on the extent of AIDS in Africa is improving, the socio-economic implications of the epidemic remain poorly understood. This paper explores this issue in Uganda, focusing on households who received foster children between 1992 and 2000, a...

Labor market regulation involves many aspects, ranging from how employers contract for the services of workers to the nature of the exchange, including terms of conditions of employment. This area of regulation represents an important and often controversial aspect of public policy in both...

This report examines the two most common programs that provide cash compensation to unemployed workers: unemployment insurance (UI) and unemployment assistance (UA). It compares them in two areas: costs and labor market disincentives. The cost analysis first derives a framework for examining...

The objectives of this paper are to highlight some of the potential and limitations of microinsurance in the context of Social Risk Management (SRM) framework to stimulate further discussion. The paper draws on existing literature on SRM and microinsurance. Where relevant, it invokes lessons...