Protecting people from poverty has long been one of the fundamental goals of social protection.Cash transfers help people eat, keep children in school, weather shocks, and avoid selling the few assets they own. This matters enormously. But can social protection also help people get ahead — not just get by?
The development community has been working on this question for years. Microfinance, training, cash-for-work, community grants— the list of interventions tried is long, but results have not always been long-lasting. Over time, this led to growing interest in economic inclusion programs, which combine multiple interventions to address the constraints that can keep people trapped in poverty. When programs got the combination right, the impacts grew and, in many cases, were sustained for many years.
