反思减贫——在喀麦隆建立有效的安全网（英）2025

DISCUSSION PAPER No. 2603|July2025 Rethinking Poverty Reduction:Building an Effective SafetyNet in Cameroon Ioana BoteaHrishikesh TMM Iyengar © 2025 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433Telephone: +1 (202) 473 1000; Internet:www.worldbank.org. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do notnecessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shownon any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement oracceptance of such boundaries. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced,in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW,Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: +1 (202) 522 2625; e-mail:pubrights@worldbank.org. Rethinking Poverty Reduction:Building an EffectiveSafety Net in Cameroon Ioana Botea and Hrishikesh TMM Iyengar1 July2025 Abstract This policy note examines the role of social safety nets in addressing persistent poverty andinequality in Cameroon. Building on over a decade of implementation, Cameroon’s mainsafetynetsinitiative—theProjet Filets Sociaux(PFS)—has laid important foundations but remainslimited in scale and reliant on external financing.Usingadministrative data and the 2021–2022ECAM5 household survey, the analysis assessesPFS performance along key dimensions:expenditure, coverage, adequacy, and effectiveness. Thefindings show that while PFS hasreached over 370,000 households, its poverty reduction impact is constrained by fragmentedcoverage, low benefit levels, and time-bound support.Microsimulations indicate that increasingboth the size of transfers and the number of beneficiaries could substantially reduce poverty andhelp close the gap toward national targets. The note outlines five actionable recommendationsto support the development of a national safety nets program: (1) establish a permanentinstitutional structure, (2) secure predictable financing, (3) expand coverage, (4) improve benefitadequacy, and (5) modernize delivery systems. These reforms would strengthen Cameroon’sability to protect vulnerable populations, foster economic inclusion, and accelerate progresstoward its development goals. JEL codes:D63, H53, I38, J28,O15 Keywords:social safety nets, poverty reduction, social protection,social assistance,cashtransfers, public works,coverage, incidence, adequacy, spending,source offinancing. Table of Contents Executive summary......................................................................................................................................31.Introduction.........................................................................................................................................62.Overview of the social protection sector............................................................................................93.Assessing the performance of theProjet Filets Sociaux (PFS).........................................................123.1.Expenditure...............................................................................................................................133.2.Coverage....................................................................................................................................153.3.Adequacy...................................................................................................................................183.4.Effectiveness..............................................................................................................................204.Policy recommendations...................................................................................................................23References..................................................................................................................................................28Additional tables and figures.....................................................................................................................30 Executivesummary Cameroon faces a persistent poverty challenge that threatens its development aspirations.Despite some progress, poverty has declined only marginally over the past two decades—from40.2 percent in 2001 to 37.7 percent in 2021—and inequality remains high. Population growthhas driven a sharp increase in