Art Appraisal Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in vast numbers of people in need of social assistance, many of whom were not previously covered by social safety nets. To meet this unprecedented level of need, governments quickly scaled social assistance reaching over 1.7 billion people in low- and middle income countries. Scaling up social assistance presented two separate but related challenges: first, adapting targeting and registration to reach individuals not commonly included in...

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation across the world. This post by CSIS explores the advantages and risks in the shift to digital payments, outlines principles for inclusive digital payments systems, and briefly summarizes the experiences of Kenya and Mexico.

This Better Than Cash Alliance report details principles for building responsible digital payment systems. An update to BTCA’s 2016 publication, the report emphasizes the importance of consumer trust driven by reliability, interoperability between services, and conscious efforts to include marginalized communities, particularly women.

The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the delivery of social protection payments, while at the same time necessitating their use at unprecedented scale. Lowe, McCord, and Beazley analyze optimal approaches to distributing and expanding G2P transfers in 2020 by combining literature review with case studies of Nigeria, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Togo. Their findings highlight the importance of comprehensive ID systems, digital and financial inclusion, existing systems, and...

Payments are central to how governments transfer and receive financial resources; however, the way such payments are made is often not mainstreamed in public financial management (PFM) despite the fact that many of the direct benefits from effective digitalization of payments are identitical to those traditionally expected from strong PFM systems. The digitalization of payments does not provide a silver bullet for solving PFM problems; therefore it needs to be approached in an integrated way, with leadership from central agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, to exploit the synergies between the many different types of payments facilitated by digital technology.

The most valuable innovation is in G2P delivery systems that empower women to choose how to receive their cash.

Despite efforts from governments across the globe, the poor lack awareness of social protection and welfare delivery programs. This blog explores the intricacies of government communication using case studies. It also discusses mastering the elements of planning, research, content, and outreach channels to develop an ideal communication strategy.

The COVID-19 Exclusion Working Group has focused its efforts on improving the design and deployment of emergency social assistance programs to make them work better for women.

This report on awareness, communication, and outreach highlights the need for the integration of key communication components for effective implementation of social protection programs.

The Report "Responsible Practices to Address Seven Major Risks in COVID-19 Digital Financial Transfers" identifies seven heightened risks resulting from the speed and scale of COVID-19 digital transfer responses.