2.9 Social Protection Delivery Chain

integrated and recognized IDs are particularly important for including migrant workers and those forcibly displaced in social insurance programs for the informal sector.

Direction 2: Strengthening Adaptive Social Protection Delivery Systems and Leveraging Data and Digital Technology

Initial evidence from the COVID-19 experience points to the critical importance of reinforcing social protection delivery systems to enable expanded coverage and shock response, building on rapidly evolving insights on how to leverage technological innovations for greater impact. The pandemic response has exposed the weaknesses of delivery systems when they are fragmented, static, and not inclusive. At the same time, the COVID-19 response across Africa has served as a real-world laboratory on wide-ranging innovations that can inform the next generation of investments in delivery systems. Social protection delivery systems need strengthening at every step along the end-to-end digital social protection delivery chain (figure 2.9). This entails efforts to: (1) build foundational identification systems such as those currently being rolled out across the Economic Community of West African States, (2) develop more “adaptive” social registries that can be built and updated dynamically using novel data sources and technologies and respond to changing shocks, (3) systematically roll out digital government-to-person payment systems leveraging large-scale purchases to drive down costs, and (4) reinforce linkage to climate early warning systems. It also creates new challenges and risks, such as personal data privacy, which must be tackled and mitigated. As such, developing social protection delivery systems that are fit for purpose for the future involves three complementary transitions.

FIGURE 2.9: Social Protection Delivery Chain

ASSESS ENROLL PROVIDE

Outreach Intake and registration Assessment of needs and conditions Eligibility and enrollment decisions Determination of bene ts and service package Noti cation and onboarding

Provision of bene ts and/or services

Bene ciary compliance, updating, and grievances Exit decisions, noti cations, and case outcomes

MANAGE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

PERIODIC REASSESSMENT

Source: Lindert et al. 2020. Recurring cycle 8 9

From Fragmented Delivery Systems toward Whole-of-Government and Interoperable Platforms

Social protection institutions and programs across many countries in Africa are fragmented, calling for whole-of-government delivery systems that consolidate key functions along the delivery chain. Siloed delivery systems, such as single-program registries or ad hoc payment systems, have come from the emergence of pilot cash transfer programs that expand over time. Yet, when diversification of policy objectives translates into new and complementary programs with new delivery platforms, the result is increased complexity and fragmentation. To promote coordination instead, whole-of-government platforms create efficiency gains by consolidating and standardizing functions across multiple programs, such as uniquely identifying individuals through foundational IDs, conducting the intake and registration of households and assessing their needs and conditions through social registries using common questionnaires, or providing cash transfers through shared payment platforms to reduce costs. Interoperability by design is necessary to articulate the functions of such platforms and streamline their processes along the delivery chain. A shared unique identifier, data exchange protocols, and robust data protection safeguards are key enablers of interoperable delivery systems under a whole-of-government approach.

From Exclusive toward Inclusive Delivery Systems with Multiple Points of Entry

Poor and vulnerable households often face barriers when interacting with the social protection delivery system, but those can be addressed through a “first mile” approach. Not having a government-recognized form of identification, living in hard-to-reach areas with no connectivity, and lack of literacy are some of the barriers that marginalized groups often face when treated as “last mile” users of social protection delivery systems. Adopting human-centered design principles31 implies putting people at the center of the system design process, empathizing with them to understand their needs, identifying pain points throughout their journeys when interacting with their governments, and making sure their needs can be met. Practical examples include building foundational ID systems that are truly universal instead of relying solely on nationality-based civil registration systems, which can be exclusionary to stateless populations. For social registries, it can mean having multiple intake modalities to accommodate households with and without connectivity, paired with an all doors open policy that is more conducive to on-demand self-registration and that seeks to update information whenever it becomes available. For payment systems, it can mean exploiting foundational ID systems and social registry data on eligible beneficiaries to fulfill know-your-customer and customer due diligence requirements32 or to simplify them by taking a tiered approach that facilitates rapid account opening, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Payment systems can introduce choicedriven features that give more agency to the users when selecting payment service providers with which to transact or whether to cash out the benefits provided by safety nets.33

31 Karippacheril (2018). 32 Jenik et al. (2020). 33 Baur-Yazbeck, Chen, and Roest (2019).