Following the serious economic crisis in 2001–02, Argentina mobilized an unprecedented effort to provide income support to the segment of the population most in need. Now, as growth has returned and social indicators recovered to precrisis levels, there is an opening to move from emergency support programs to a more comprehensive, long-term, and sustainable strategy for social protection. The challenge is to design and fully implement a social protection system that has adequate coverage and benefits and is integrated and fiscally and politically sustainable.
The analysis contained in this book aimed to contribute to and inform the debate about the future of income support policies in Argentina, taking the views, values, and preferences of the stakeholders and the population as starting points. The research included two innovative efforts to collect and understand the landscape of ideas regarding options for social protection circulating in Argentina: first, an extensive set of consultations with policy makers and practitioners in social policy, mainly at the provincial level; and second, a national, representative opinion survey on the views and perceptions of the population regarding social policy and income support programs in particular.
1 Income Transfer Programs and Social Protection 1
2 Income Support Policies in Argentina: Origins and Development 7
3 Opinions and Preferences Toward Income Support 32
4 Income Support and the Role of the Provinces 50
5 Policy Options and Future Challenges 60
6 Reflections, Challenges, and Policy Considerations 75
7 References 78
Appendixes 81
Appendix A Methodology of the EPPS 83
Appendix B Provincial Consultations: Process and Methodology 85
Appendix C Methodology of the Behavioral Simulation 87
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Overview
Following the serious economic crisis in 2001–02, Argentina mobilized an unprecedented effort to provide income support to the segment of the population most in need. Now, as growth has returned and social indicators recovered to precrisis levels, there is an opening to move from emergency support programs to a more comprehensive, long-term, and sustainable strategy for social protection. The challenge is to design and fully implement a social protection system that has adequate coverage and benefits and is ...