http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/working_papers/wp156.pdf

The objective of this paper is to document the nature and scope of social protection policy and practice in Bolivia, utilizing the World Bank’s social protection framework. The paper is divided into five sections: 1) By way, of background briefly outlines the World Bank’s conceptual framework for social protection as a poverty reduction strategy, noting a number of limitations. 2)Highlights how risk analysis provides a useful instrument for identifying important sources of idiosyncratic and covariant risks among the poor in rural and urban areas in Bolivia. 3)In turn, illustrates how the social risk management framework assists in distinguishing the three types of social risk management strategies in Bolivia; risk reduction, mitigation and coping. 4)Provides a critique of the relative importance of the issue of security and social protection in the Bolivian government’s recently completed Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 5)Concludes by identifying three examples of win-win strategies, all of which may point the way towards more sustainable, local-level, risk reduction strategies. (Au)