[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-108897-en":3,"doc-seo-108897-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":92},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":20,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},108897,962075114101,"Seraphina","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/e000253a75eb197efd?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1780044092746381165",8,"Research & Report","Adequacy of Coverage, Targeting and Benefits of Social Protection Programs - Policy Note","This policy note examines how social protection (SP) program design elements influence poverty and vulnerability outcomes in Bangladesh, with emphasis on coverage adequacy, beneficiary targeting, and benefit levels. It reviews evidence on program reach, including overall coverage expansion driven by major cash and food-based schemes, while noting fragmentation and persistent low coverage for many smaller programs. It also analyzes geographic targeting gaps across rural and urban areas and by region, highlighting under- and over-covered divisions and proposing policy reforms.","BACKGROUND  \n1  \nPOLICY NOTE  \nAdequacy of Coverage, Targeting and Benefits of Social Protection Programs  \nTo maximize the impact of social protection (SP) programs, it is critical to: (1) align the allocation of resources with national policies and strategies; (2) design programs that are able to reach their intended beneficiaries with adequate coverage and level of benefits; (3) ensure efficiency in programming and financing; and (4) ensure efficiency in the actual delivery of programs at the local level. This policy note analyses point (2), the adequacy of SP programs in Bangladesh, and highlights areas where challenges remain and proposes policy reforms to address those (others are covered in other policy notes and in the main report ) .  \nIt focuses on the three elements of the design of social protection (SP) programs that are critical to maximum impacts on poverty and vulnerability: (1) the extent to which programs have the “right” size and coverage; (2) the extent to which programs effectively reach or target the “right” beneficiaries; and (3) the extent to which programs provide these beneficiaries with the “right” benefits. The optimal combination of these elements depends on programs’ policy objectives, the needs or demands of target population groups, the types of beneficiaries or programs, and available resources.  \n1 The Policy Note series discusses key thematic findings and recommendations outlined in the ‘Bangladesh Social Protection Public Expenditure Review (PER)’ report. The series includes notes on the Allocative efficiency: Better Align Social Protection Resources with National Policy; Adequacy of Coverage, Targeting and Benefits of Social Protection Programs; Efficiency in the Programming and Financing of Social Protection; and Efficiency in the delivery of Social Protection Benefits and Services to Beneficiaries.  \n1  \nPub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized  \n\n| \u003Cbr>Adequacy of Coverage, Targeting and Benefits of Social Protection Programs POLICY NOTE |  |\n| --- | --- |\n| COVERAGE   |  |\n| In Bangladesh, regular increases in social protection budget have typically prioritized increases in coverage over increases in benefit size or amounts. The share of households benefiting from social assistance programs more than doubled from 12 percent in 2005 to 25 percent in 2010, before going at a slower pace to reach nearly 28 percent of households by 2016. A few large programs, including allowances or cash-based programs (Old Age Allowance (OAA), Widow Allowance (WA), and Test Relief (TR)) as well as food-based programs (Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Gratuitous Relief (GR) and school feeding program (SFP)), and stipends drive the patterns. Over the past eight years, for instance, the OAA and WA increased their number of beneficiaries six times; while the number of | beneficiaries from EGPP increased 1.5 times (figure 1) . The number of beneficiaries of a few programs have likely already reached the size of their target population, for instance, EGPP and DA.\u003Cbr>In fact, if these were perfectly targeted to the poor, some would cover all the poor (e.g. Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) or Primary Education Stipend Program (PESP)) and a few would reach 2/3 of the poor (VGF and GR) . Beyond these few programs, coverage is typically very small and variable. While some of the smallest programs are in a “piloting” phase, which is essential to test new approaches and methodologies, many are simply operated on avery small scale, contributing to fragmentation. |\n| \u003Cbr>Millions\u003Cbr>5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0\u003Cbr> Old Age Allowance  Allowance for Widow, Destitute and Deserted women\u003Cbr> Employment Generation Program for the Poorest  Allowance for Financially Insolvent Disabled\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>FY2011-12 FY2012-13 FY2013-14 FY2014-15 FY2015-16 FY2016-17 FY2017-18 FY2018-19 FY2019-20 |  |\n| Figure 1: Number of beneficiaries of key programs ","cbCaihcs8lSsiSBS","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihcs8lSsiSBS","pdf",223077,6,1,"English","en",105,"# Coverage\n## Expansion and drivers of beneficiary reach\n## Target population coverage limits and fragmentation\n# Targeting\n## Geographic targeting: rural vs urban\n## Regional undercoverage and overcoverage\n# Policy implications\n## Rebalancing funding based on poverty prevalence","[{\"question\":\"What design elements does the note focus on to maximize social protection impacts?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on coverage adequacy and program size, the effectiveness of reaching the right beneficiaries, and whether benefits match beneficiaries’ needs.\"},{\"question\":\"How has social assistance coverage changed in Bangladesh over time?\",\"answer\":\"Coverage expanded notably from about 12% of households in 2005 to about 25% in 2010, reaching nearly 28% by 2016, supported mainly by several large allowances and food-based programs.\"},{\"question\":\"What geographic targeting issues are highlighted?\",\"answer\":\"The note shows rural areas receiving a larger share of SP spending than urban areas, and it documents regional mismatches where some divisions are undercovered while others are overcovered relative to poverty rates.\"}]","Adequacy of Coverage, Targeting and Benefits of Social Protection Programs - Policy Note | PDF",1784474722,15,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":87,"head_meta":89,"extra_data":91,"updated_unix":28},"adequacy-of-coverage-targeting-and-benefits-of-social-protection-programs-policy-note","",{"@graph":36,"@context":86},[37,54,69],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,48,51],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":47},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":53},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/adequacy-of-coverage-targeting-and-benefits-of-social-protection-programs-policy-note/108897/",4,{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":55,"author":56,"headline":13,"publisher":58,"fileFormat":61,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":62,"datePublished":63,"encodingFormat":61,"isAccessibleForFree":64,"interactionStatistic":65},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":57},"Person",{"url":41,"name":59,"@type":60},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-31","2026-07-19",true,{"@type":66,"interactionType":67,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":68},"ViewAction",{"@type":70,"mainEntity":71},"FAQPage",[72,78,82],{"name":73,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":75},"What design elements does the note focus on to maximize social protection impacts?","Question",{"text":76,"@type":77},"It focuses on coverage adequacy and program size, the effectiveness of reaching the right beneficiaries, and whether benefits match beneficiaries’ needs.","Answer",{"name":79,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":80},"How has social assistance coverage changed in Bangladesh over time?",{"text":81,"@type":77},"Coverage expanded notably from about 12% of households in 2005 to about 25% in 2010, reaching nearly 28% by 2016, supported mainly by several large allowances and food-based programs.",{"name":83,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":84},"What geographic targeting issues are highlighted?",{"text":85,"@type":77},"The note shows rural areas receiving a larger share of SP spending than urban areas, and it documents regional mismatches where some divisions are undercovered while others are overcovered relative to poverty rates.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":52,"og:type":88,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":59,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":90,"canonical":52},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":24},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":93},[94,98,102,106,111,115,120,123,128,131,135],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":47,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":53,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},30,"research-report",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":130},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":133,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":134},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":136,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":137,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":138},19,"General","general"]