This book presents recent World Bank analytical work on the causes of violence and conflict in Columbia and the pilot lending programmes which have been designed to promote peace and help development. It is divided into three sections. The first sets the framework for the history of violence and the mechanisms of its propagation, looks at its costs and also at current policy initiatives to reduce it. The second part looks at the social economic causes of conflict and the costs of achieving peace. The last part reviews the recent experience of the World Bank in assisting countries that are experiencing, or have overcome, domestic armed conflict.

This exciting and innovative Handbook provides readers with a comprehensive and globally relevant overview of the instruments, actors and design features of social protection systems, as well as their application and impacts in practice. It is the first book that centres around system building globally, a theme that has gained political importance yet has received relatively little attention in academia.

Adaptive social protection (ASP) helps to build the resilience of poor and vulnerable households to the impacts of large, covariate shocks, such as natural disasters, economic crises, pandemics, conflict, and forced displacement. Through the provision of transfers and services directly to these households, ASP supports their capacity to prepare for, cope with, and adapt to the shocks they face—before, during, and after these shocks occur. Over the long term, by supporting these three capacities, ASP can provide a pathway to a more resilient state for households that may otherwise lack the resources to move out of chronically vulnerable situations. Adaptive Social Protection: Building Resilience to Shocks outlines an organizing framework for the design and implementation of ASP, providing insights into the ways in which social protection systems can be made more capable of building household resilience. By way of its four building blocks—programs, information, finance, and institutional arrangements and partnerships—the framework highlights both the elements of existing social protection systems that are the cornerstones for building household resilience, as well as the additional investments that are central to enhancing their ability to generate these outcomes. In this report, the ASP framework and its building blocks have been elaborated primarily in relation to natural disasters and associated climate change. Nevertheless, many of the priorities identified within each building block are also pertinent to the design and implementation of ASP across other types of shocks, providing a foundation for a structured approach to the advancement of this rapidly evolving and complex agenda.

This paper updates the Social Risk Management (SRM) conceptual framework; the foundation of the World Bank's first Social Protection Sector Strategy. SRM 2.0 addresses the increasingly risky and uncertain world; with opportunities and outcomes driven by possible disruptions from technology, markets, climate change, etc. SRM 2.0 is a spatial assets and livelihoods approach to household well-being featuring a risk chain covering all households across the lifecycle and for both positive and negative events. Key findings: Location and context are critical for household choices; assets are key to sustainable resilience to poverty, new assets and livelihoods need to be considered for the 21st century, and resilience and vulnerability to poverty are two sides of the same coin. Operationally, SRM 2.0 points to the need for a greater focus on asset and livelihood building programs in addition to traditional poverty alleviation and risk sharing programs, better integration between rights-based and risk-based approaches, more inclusive targeting, and consideration of global social protection.

This highly original and thought-provoking book examines the recent expansion of social protection in China, India, Brazil and South Africa four countries experiencing rapid economic growth and social change. The authors explore the developments in each country, analyse the impact of government cash transfers and discuss key future trends. The study reveals that social protection has complemented economic growth and supported development efforts and has been fundamental to promoting equitable and sustainable societies. The book is essential reading for students of social policy, economics, development studies and public administration and will be an important resource for policymakers and administrators everywhere.