Shock-responsive social protection in the Caribbean: Literature review
Globally, the number, duration, and size of disasters and crises are on the rise. At the same time, the cost of emergency responses has been increasing, thus exerting further pressure on already limited resources. Concurrently, there is growing global recognition of the need to leverage existing resources to respond to shocks – as reflected in Grand Bargain commitments. This has led governments and international actors to explore opportunities for social protection systems and programmes to play a bigger role in responding to shocks, given their objectives of providing support to affected households and building resilience. Given the small size, high exposure, and low resources that characterise most Caribbean countries, assessing the role for social protection in preparing for, responding to, and mitigating the impact of shocks in the region is of crucial importance.
Further, given the pivotal role of disaster risk management (DRM) systems in addressing shocks in the region, understanding synergies between DRM and social protection is equally important.
Against this backdrop, this literature review seeks to answer the following questions:
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How are DRM systems organised in the region? To what extent are social protection principles already embedded in DRM systems?
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How are social protection systems structured and implemented in the region?
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What design and implementation features of the social protection system have elements of flexibility and adaptability to facilitate rapid and adequate shock response?
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What recent regional experiences and good practices have there been in regard to responding to shocks via social protection?