Protecting vulnerable families in Central Asia: Poverty, Vulnerability and the Impact of the Economic Crisis

This paper provides an overview of the social and economic vulnerabilities of households with children in 5 Central Asian countries, and assesses the ability of national social protection systems to address these, with the main focus on the role of non-contributory cash transfers financed from general government revenues. The paper concludes that the existing social cash transfer systems are not effective in addressing the needs of poor and vulnerable children and families in Central Asia. Limited coverage together with limited funding reduces the potential poverty reduction impact of the programmes.