Key messages on tackling chronic poverty

Effective social protection programmes and systems represent an investment in preventing further impoverishment, and provide a solid basis for escaping poverty.

• From the beginning, the CPRC has provided evidence that social protection can be a practical solution to improve the economic and social security of the poorest, and support their efforts to create human capital and assets. The critical issue now is to facilitate national systems of social protection in low-income countries. 

• Along with others, the CPRC has been instrumental in getting key agencies to acknowledge that social transfers can address chronic poverty – a big change since 2000 when thinking on social protection was dominated by the World Bank’s social risk management framework.

• A distinguishing feature of the chronically poor is that they are highly vulnerable, especially to illness and premature death, and that they face high levels of risk. Appropriately designed social transfer programmes increase the resilience of households and protect the poorest against several risks at the same time.   
  Read Chapter 3 (Sec 4) on Vulnerability and protection.

• The sources of vulnerability vary; to reach the chronically poor, programmes must be nationally-specific. The CPRC suggests reviewing, reforming and expanding systems and establishing new ones that provide support to all vulnerable people.
  Read Chapter 3 on Key findings on chronic poverty
  Read Chapter 4 (Sec 1) on Social protection

• CPRC research shows that living in a fragile state can lead to chronic poverty. Social protection can be an approach to reduce high levels of vulnerability and insecurity that keep people poor in such areas. The CPRC emphasises extending social contracts through social protection in fragile states.
  Read Chapter 3 (Sec 6) on Location

• Finally, social protection is a useful entry-point to addressing the more difficult policy agendas of making growth work for the chronically poor and advancing a process of progressive social change. A focus on social protection  in the next five years is critical so that the post-2015 global approach to development has a real chance of eliminating poverty.
  Read Chapter 5 on Future research and action