Economic Inclusion for the Poorest and COVID-19: Adaptation and Early Priorities for Medium- and Longer-Term Recovery
PUBLICATION
BY Partnership for Economic Inclusion
June 18, 2020
Economic inclusion programs for the poorest show strong potential as part of integrated policy responses focused on containing the pandemic, ensuring food security, and supporting medium-term recovery.
This note considers initial adaptations and early priorities in economic inclusion programs to support medium- and longer-term recovery efforts. The note is intended to be a resource for policy makers and practitioners faced with the dual challenge of adapting existing programs in response to a pandemic and ensuring the readiness of existing or new programs as part of medium- and longer-term recovery efforts.
This note defines economic inclusion programs as a multidimensional set of “bundled interventions” that support households and communities to increase their incomes and assets. These interventions are sometimes referred to as productive inclusion, graduation, or community-driven development programs. Common interventions include a combination of cash or in-kind transfers; skills training or coaching; access to finance; and linkages to market support.