COVID-19 Archives - G2P Network /themes/covid-19/ Mon, 17 Oct 2022 16:31:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7 The Role of Digital in the COVID-19 Social Assistance Response /the-role-of-digital-in-the-covid-19-social-assistance-response/ Mon, 17 Oct 2022 16:31:14 +0000 /?p=1638 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...

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]]> 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 social assistance databases, such as urban informal workers, and second, how to deliver government to person (G2P) payments safely and securely in the context of the pandemic. Countries that could leverage pre-pandemic investments in digital public infrastructure (DPI)— identification (ID), payments and trusted data sharing—were better able to implement COVID-response social assistance programs and reach more beneficiaries. This paper, analyzes the role of these DPIs, also called digital stack, in the social protection response to COVID by analyzing data on how COVID-response social assistance programs registered and made payments to beneficiaries across 178 programs and 85 countries. The analysis shows how these digital systems and infrastructure allowed for innovative targeting, registration, and payment approaches that covered a significant portion of the population. This paper uses administrative data on G2P registration and payment methods combined with anecdotal evidence from country case studies to show how pre-pandemic investments in digital databases, digital ID, and digital payments impacted countries’ abilities to reach new beneficiaries and deliver payments safely in the context of the pandemic response. It further details workaround solutions implemented by countries without these assets and infrastructure in place, and how some countries were able to expand their digital infrastructure even amidst the urgency of the crisis response. The analysis concludes with suggestions as to the impact that the social assistance response to COVID-19 can have on the future of social protection payments, in terms of inspiring investments in building and strengthening G2P ecosystems globally.

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]]> Digitalization and Social Protection: Macro and Micro Lessons for Vietnam /digitalization-and-social-protection-macro-and-micro-lessons-for-vietnam/ Wed, 12 Oct 2022 21:20:16 +0000 /?p=1635 The COVID-19 shock has underscored the importance of digital tools for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of social protection systems. Cross-country evidence suggests that digital IDs linked with bank and/or mobile money accounts can improve the delivery of social protection programs and better reach eligible beneficiaries. Using data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey, we present micro simulations on the welfare gains of digital social protection during the pandemic....

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]]> The COVID-19 shock has underscored the importance of digital tools for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of social protection systems. Cross-country evidence suggests that digital IDs linked with bank and/or mobile money accounts can improve the delivery of social protection programs and better reach eligible beneficiaries. Using data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey, we present micro simulations on the welfare gains of digital social protection during the pandemic. While digitalization offers opportunities, potential risks would need to be carefully managed. Vietnam is advancing on individual pieces of the digitalization puzzle, including full digital IDs and mobile money, and the next step is to put these pieces together.

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]]> Using Social Protection to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia /using-social-protection-to-respond-to-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-indonesia/ Tue, 19 Jul 2022 18:34:39 +0000 /?p=1627 This case study synthesizes the social protection response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia in 2020. It is part of six country case studies developed as part of the Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19 Expert Advice Helpline’s (SPACE) learning and documentation approach. By capturing country-level social protection responses to COVID-19, the case studies aim to inform the global audiences as to what has happened, what has...

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]]> This case study synthesizes the social protection response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia in 2020. It is part of six country case studies developed as part of the Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19 Expert Advice Helpline’s (SPACE) learning and documentation approach. By capturing country-level social protection responses to COVID-19, the case studies aim to inform the global audiences as to what has happened, what has worked well and less well and why. The case studies primarily draw upon a review of existing research; government regulations, decrees and policies; news media; and online media such as blogs and webinars. This desk-based review is supplemented by select key informant interviews (KIIs).

The case study is structured as follows: This introductory section presents an overview of the country, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the national social protection system. It is followed by Section 2, which presents the social protection responses to COVID-19 in terms of the design, financing and delivery systems. Finally, Section 3 concludes with a light-touch assessment of the response and its long-term implications for the national social protection system.

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]]> The Digitalisation of Social Protection Before and Since the Onset of Covid-19: Opportunities, Challenges and Lessons /the-digitalisation-of-social-protection-before-and-since-the-onset-of-covid-19-opportunities-challenges-and-lessons/ Tue, 19 Jul 2022 18:30:36 +0000 /?p=1625 This paper discusses the main opportunities and challenges associated with digital social protection, drawing on trends pre-Covid and since the onset of the pandemic. It offers eight lessons to help social protection actors capitalize on technology’s potential in a risk-sensitive manner.

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]]> This paper discusses the main opportunities and challenges associated with digital social protection, drawing on trends pre-Covid and since the onset of the pandemic. It offers eight lessons to help social protection actors capitalize on technology’s potential in a risk-sensitive manner.

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]]> Social protection response to COVID-19 in rural LAC: The potential of digitalisation to build back better /social-protection-response-to-covid-19-in-rural-lac-the-potential-of-digitalisation-to-build-back-better/ Fri, 27 May 2022 13:25:28 +0000 /?p=1621 This policy research brief analyses how digitalisation can facilitate rural populations’ access to effective and adequate social protection and economic inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. It investigates the region’s social protection response to COVID-19 and highlights three good practices in providing digitalised social protection to vulnerable rural populations during the crisis. Based on this analysis and considering the local obstacles to digitalised social protection in rural areas, recommendations...

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]]> This policy research brief analyses how digitalisation can facilitate rural populations’ access to effective and adequate social protection
and economic inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. It investigates the region’s social protection response to COVID-19 and
highlights three good practices in providing digitalised social protection to vulnerable rural populations during the crisis. Based on this
analysis and considering the local obstacles to digitalised social protection in rural areas, recommendations are provided to build rural
social protection back better after the pandemic.

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]]> COVID-19 and Social Assistance in the Philippines: Lessons for Future Resilience /covid-19-and-social-assistance-in-the-philippines-lessons-for-future-resilience/ Fri, 20 May 2022 14:02:11 +0000 /?p=1619 This note describes the phases of the COVID-19 SP response in the Philippines and assesses the performance with a focus on social assistance. It provides estimates of the coverage, adequacy, targeting accuracy, timeliness, and payment delivery of COVID-19 social assistance in the Philippines based on several household surveys and studies. The note pays special attention to the Philippines’ flagship social protection program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and the...

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]]> This note describes the phases of the COVID-19 SP response in the Philippines and assesses the performance with a focus on social assistance. It provides estimates of the coverage, adequacy, targeting accuracy, timeliness, and payment delivery of COVID-19 social assistance in the Philippines based on several household surveys and studies. The note pays special attention to the Philippines’ flagship social protection program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and the COVID-19 emergency cash assistance program, the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), which came to rely heavily on digital distribution methods.

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]]> Beyond India’s Lockdown: PMGKY Benefits During the COVID-19 Crisis and the State of Digital Payments /beyond-indias-lockdown-pmgky-benefits-during-the-covid-19-crisis-and-the-state-of-digital-payments/ Fri, 29 Apr 2022 20:26:52 +0000 /?p=1616 India imposed a lock-down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and began a gradual re-opening in June. A telephonic survey in April examined the early effectiveness of information and the massive PMGKY social protection program (Policy Paper 217). This paper analyzes a second-round survey, conducted six months later. Logistical and information constraints had relaxed, and incomes and jobs had begun to stabilize for some. There were not...

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]]> India imposed a lock-down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and began a gradual re-opening in June. A telephonic survey in April examined the early effectiveness of information and the massive PMGKY social protection program (Policy Paper 217). This paper analyzes a second-round survey, conducted six months later. Logistical and information constraints had relaxed, and incomes and jobs had begun to stabilize for some. There were not strong indications of differential access to benefits by income or location, but constraints to providing public employment had tightened in the face of increased demand, resulting in greater job rationing. Men made more use of digital channels, with a clear smartphone ownership hierarchy between men and women; this divide carried over into the growing autonomous use of digital payments which is conditioned on access to smartphones. Survey results confirm strong local agglomeration effects in digital payments, mirroring the general pattern with higher use in states hosting India’s major technology hubs. At the same time, trust-based concerns reduced the use of assisted digital cash-outs through agents.

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]]> Beneficiary Experience of Digital Government-to-Person (G2P) Payments in Bangladesh, Colombia, and the Philippines /beneficiary-experience-of-digital-government-to-person-g2p-payments-in-bangladesh-colombia-and-the-philippines/ Thu, 14 Apr 2022 19:52:34 +0000 /?p=1609 About 17 percent of the world’s population has received at least one COVID-19-related cash transfer payment since the onset of the pandemic. Many of these transfers have been conducted digitally to efficiently and safely provide economic relief to affected households. Amongst low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that offered cash transfers, 58 disbursed funds directly to a fully functioning bank account, an account only for benefit withdrawal, or a digital non-bank...

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]]> About 17 percent of the world’s population has received at least one COVID-19-related cash transfer payment since the onset of the pandemic. Many of these transfers have been conducted digitally to efficiently and safely provide economic relief to affected households. Amongst low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that offered cash transfers, 58 disbursed funds directly to a fully functioning bank account, an account only for benefit withdrawal, or a digital non-bank account. Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) research from the Philippines, Colombia, and Bangladesh explores consumers’ experience with digital cash transfers, and supports policy recommendations to improve the effectiveness of G2P payments and future financial inclusion.

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]]> From Digital G2P Payments to Greater Financial Inclusion—Latest Findings from the Philippines /from-digital-g2p-payments-to-greater-financial-inclusion-latest-findings-from-the-philippines/ Thu, 14 Apr 2022 19:43:20 +0000 /?p=1607 This blog post from IPA summarizes the findings from a survey of SAP 2 transfer beneficiaries in the Philippines. Due to a number of issues under SAP 1, including overcrowding, SAP 2 benefits were distributed digitally through accounts rather than in cash. The survey found that the average recipient was satisfied, despite waiting for about an hour and being charged roughly $1 to cash out. Only 16%, however, were aware...

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]]> This blog post from IPA summarizes the findings from a survey of SAP 2 transfer beneficiaries in the Philippines. Due to a number of issues under SAP 1, including overcrowding, SAP 2 benefits were distributed digitally through accounts rather than in cash. The survey found that the average recipient was satisfied, despite waiting for about an hour and being charged roughly $1 to cash out. Only 16%, however, were aware they were given a financial account under SAP 2, and only 6% used the account for more than cashing out.

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]]> Social Protection in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons from South Africa /social-protection-in-the-covid-19-pandemic-lessons-from-south-africa/ Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:28:08 +0000 /?p=1596 This paper reviews South Africa’s social protection policies and their implementation during the COVID-19 crisis. Overall, the government reached over 30 million South Africans with cash-based relief measures. A distinctive feature of cash-based emergency relief was the use of digital technologies, especially in the application and verification process for the new SRD grant. The payment system, however, relied heavily on manual cash disbursements, thus failing to reflect the adoption of...

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]]> This paper reviews South Africa’s social protection policies and their implementation during the COVID-19 crisis. Overall, the government reached over 30 million South Africans with cash-based relief measures. A distinctive feature of cash-based emergency relief was the use of digital technologies, especially in the application and verification process for the new SRD grant. The payment system, however, relied heavily on manual cash disbursements, thus failing to reflect the adoption of innovative digital technologies observed in many other African countries.

 

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