Social Protection in Ethiopia

Abstract

Social protection encompasses three broad sets of public action: publicly provided state contingent insurance (pensions, unemployment insurance); social sector policies (fee waivers); and targeted non-contributory programmes that transfer resources to poor households. Ethiopia’s experiences with this third component, sometimes referred to as social safety nets, is the focus of this chapter. Since 1994, safety nets have evolved from a series of ad hoc responses to drought shocks, to a systematic intervention aimed at addressing chronic food insecurity in drought-prone regions (the Productive Safety Net Programme) and latterly to broader efforts to provide assistance to poor Ethiopian households. This chapter provides a systematic review of these interventions, their welfare impacts, and the future directions they may take.