The effectiveness of Bangladesh’s existing safety net programmes is undermined by fragmentation, weak targeting, and inefficiency, a World Bank (WB) report has observed. The report, titled ‘Bangladesh Social Protection and Labour Review: Toward Smart Social Protection and Jobs for the Poor’, was released at the National Economic Council (NEC) auditorium at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city yesterday.
Speaking as the chief guest, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said the government is taking steps in respect of allegations levelled over the distribution of fair price rice for the poor at Tk. 10 per kg. He also said there is no allegation in his constituency in this respect.
Presided over by General Economic Division (GED) member Prof. Shamsul Alam, former adviser to the caretaker government, Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, WB country director Qimiao Fan, social welfare secretary Zillar Rahman, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies research director Dr Rashida Islam Rahman, WB senior economist Yooyoung Cho and WB programme leader Iffah Sharif also addressed the programme.
Mustafa Kamal said a total of 12.9 million employment opportunities would have to be created during the period of the Seventh Five Year Plan to achieve the target of job creation. But the task is really tough, Kamal said, adding, “If the vision is innocent, it is achievable. So we have to do more.” He expressed believe that it would be possible to provide jobs for all as they had faced big challenges earlier. Qimiao Fan said the bank has a strong commitment to work with the government for social protection. He also said the weak targeting of social safety net programmes and poor selection were the main reasons for not achieving the target.
Dr Hossain Zillur emphasised a pension scheme like social protection for private sector employees. Talking about the obstacles to economic growth, Zillur said social stigma is the main barrier in Bangladesh, as society is yet to change its mindset about technical education. He also said the mindset on technical education should be changed to accelerate economic growth. The WB report said the challenges of poverty reduction and inclusive growth in Bangladesh were not amenable to simple solutions. It observed that the existing safety nets were marred by fragmentation, weak targeting, and inefficiency.
These are fragmented by the large number of programmes operating with unclear or duplicative objectives and coverage, and without adequate coordination. For instance, many seemingly analogous social transfers and reliefs are currently being provided under multiple programmes. The report found weak targeting because no scientific or rigorous targeting mechanisms are in place, and it is only recently that the Bangladesh government has taken steps to construct a household database for the purpose of targeting those people who need such safety nets the most. A considerable portion of social safety net beneficiaries comprises the non-poor, as indicated by household surveys, said the WB, adding that targeting accuracy tends to suffer because most programmes rely on geographical targeting, but do not consider individual household characteristics and poverty status. Finally, implementation inefficiency—most notably beneficiary duplication, leakages and high administrative costs—hampers the effectiveness of the programmes. This is particularly prominent in, but not limited to, food-based programmes compared to cash-based ones.