Position paper on targeting options for social assistance programme for poor families with children
A reflection on the political, economic and technical feasibility of approaches to targeting child benefits in the Kyrgyz context
Highlights
This paper contributes to the policy discourse on child benefits in the Kyrgyz Republic by reviewing the national and international theory and evidence on targeting. First, it introduces the academic literature on the advantages, disadvantages and preconditions of various targeting approaches. Second, it considers international experiences that may provide valuable lessons for Kyrgyzstan. Third, the paper presents simulated scenarios of possible policy alternatives, assessing their efficiency and equity. Finally, it reflects on the political, economic and technical feasibility of approaches to targeting child benefits in the Kyrgyz context. The paper also contains analysis of the expected child poverty effects of COVID-19 crisis and potential implications on social assistance.
The report was prepared under the UNICEF conceptual and financial support, and with research expertise from the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG) of Maastricht University integrated within United Nations University – MERIT (UNU-MERIT).
