Essay On Social Safety Nets

1. Introduction
Social safety nets, defined by World Bank (2015) as “non-contributory transfers in cash or in kind targeted to the poor and vulnerable”, have been a norm in developed countries for the past few decades. However, developing countries are slowly catching on to the trend as well. Taking notes from developed countries such as Britain’s welfare state, and Singapore’s Central Provident Fund (CPF), developing countries have also implemented some social safety nets of their own, which are customised to the needs of their societies.

However, some would question the necessity of these social safety nets and would perhaps be cynical of the impact of such intended benefits on the citizens. Additionally, global experts have also critiqued the quality, reach and viability of the social safety nets implemented in developing countries. As such, this essay aims to study some of these safety nets and analyse their adequacy, inclusiveness and sustainability.

1.a Approach of Paper

While reading this essay, there are some questions that one might consider:

1. Why is there a need to implement social safety nets?
2. What are some inherent characteristics of developing countries that would cause social safety nets implemented in these countries to be unsuccessful?
3. How would the citizens in the country benefit from these

Inadequate infrastructure impedes the development of the country’s economy, which would culminate in poor economic performance. This would affect the government’s budget as there would be lesser resources to implement social safety nets that would be sustainable in the long run. Hence, infrastructure is essential as it directly impacts the economy of the developing countries, which would determine the ability of the country to provide social safety nets that are actually adequate and