Towards a Social Protection Strategy for Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh now stands at the crossroads of maintaining the momentum of high economic growth and dealing with rising inequality. Social protection measures can play an instrumental role in narrowing inequality through distribution of some of the social entitlements among those who are left behind. The present study seeks to highlight the role of social protection in meeting the aspirations of Bangladesh to be an inclusive society. The paper describes the characteristics of social protection in Bangladesh, and reviews the current state of social safety net programmes. It also sheds light on some of the limitations of these programmes, and budget allocations for various programmes. Finally, the study assesses the National Social Security Strategy and makes recommendations to move forward.