Maximising resilience outcomes through economic inclusion
This session was hosted by the Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) and the World Bank.
Colin Andrews, Programme Manager, Partnership for Economic Inclusion, gave a framing presentation and moderated the discussion. The following panelists shared country experiences and took part in the ensuing discussion:
- Rita Larok, Advisory Member of PEI & global thematic focal person for Graduation Approach/Economic Inclusion at AVSI
- Dena Ringold, Regional Director for Human Development, West and Central Africa Region, World Bank Group
- Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, Bangladesh
- Dr Atef El Shabrawy, FORSA Program Advisor, Ministry of Social Solidarity, Egypt
- Hamadou Siddo, National Coordinator, Niger Youth Employment and Productive Inclusion (PEJIP)
Economic inclusion programming involves the gradual integration of individuals and households into broader economic and community development processes. It aims to address the structural barriers and other constraints faced by poor people, with a focus on increasing their incomes and assets, strengthening their resilience, and improving future opportunities. This session explored the ever-increasing and diverse country experiences of implementing economic inclusion initiatives at scale. Participants looked at emerging lessons from countries embarking on similar journeys, the potential of their programmes to be gradually scaled up, and their initial impacts on cross-cutting policy agendas such as increasing resilience for climate-related shocks and women’s empowerment.
Key points of the discussion included the following:
- The ‘conveyer belt’: It is important not to look at these programmes in isolation, rather as part of a larger strategy of social protection and jobs.
- Costs: Very few programmes actually have data on cost effectiveness. The advantage of a social protection and jobs system is that you are layering interventions, making programmes more affordable and scalable.
- A cookie cutter approach does not work: Each country is a laboratory for learning. It is not only about expanding the number of studies, but also unpacking existing evidence and trying to understand why something works in one context but not others. The evidence body may be growing, but there is still a lot to do.