Many low-income country governments have begun to digitize government-to-person (G2P) payments by making electronic transfers directly into the accounts of individual customers.

While digitization has helped to fill the gaps in delivery, further advances are needed. Building modern payments systems can: Improve the customer experience by allowing customers to choose which providers and accounts they use to receive funds; they have a wider array of service points from which to withdraw cash; and they can switch providers.

This note describes the main strategies used by, and available to, countries to deliver cash support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the note is to inform both ongoing responses to COVID-19 and medium to long term investments in delivery mechanisms that could be used to respond to future crises.

The Informal Workers and Social Protection background note outlines the options for providing social protection to informal workers, with a particular focus on the implications for COVID-19 response and urban settings.

In order to do so, it provides information on the impacts of COVID-19 on earnings and wellbeing among informal economy workers, considering the opportunities the crisis presents for reform to more efficiently link informal workers with social protection systems.

It is essential to understand ‘Who’ will be affected, ‘Where’, ‘How’ and ‘When’ to better understand the ‘What’ of the social protection response to COVID-19.

Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19 - Expert Advice Helpline, SPACE

Stakeholder Profile Publications Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19 - Expert Advice Helpline, SPACE

2020 . Publisher:  Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19 - Expert Advice Helpline, SPACE

This is a living document tracking relevant COVID-19 and Social Protection materials. 

blogs.worldbank.org (02.07.2020) As South Asian countries intensify the fight against COVID-19, it is imperative that social protection programs, including cash transfers, food vouchers, unemployment benefits, pensions, wage subsidies, be at the forefront of the relief and recovery efforts.  In this scenario, two lessons stand out: First, investing in protection systems helps respond rapidly to crises. Second, assisting people in building resilience against future shocks is essential for a strong recovery.