Public Works as a Safety Net

By Colin Andrews, Carlo del Ninno and Kalanidhi Subbarao

Public Works as a Safety Net: Design, Evidence, and Implementation reviews the conceptual underpinnings and operational elements of public works programs around the world. Drawing from a rich evidence base including program documentation, policy papers, peer-reviewed publications, and empirical data from over 40 countries, it provides an overview of the state of public works programs and how they function as part of wider social protection systems. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the design features and alternative models of public works implemented under diverse country settings. Topics covered include program objectives, institutional and financing arrangements, targeting, costs and benefits, gender considerations, and monitoring and evaluation. Political economy issues that inform the development and effectiveness of public works programs are also addressed, bringing into focus the centrality of governance and transparency to ensure the achievement of program outcomes. The comprehensive nature of the review, and its thorough analysis of available data, fills a gap in knowledge related to public works program design and implementation. The book should benefit both policy makers and practitioners involved in public works planning. It will also help inform future efforts to incorporate public works as an important tool of an integrated national social protection systems, that will help respond to unpredictable global shocks leading to sudden declines in employment, whether seasonal or systemic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: World Bank Publications
• Release date: Dec 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9780821389683

Colin Andrews

I live in Northampton, UK Nine years ago (while my partner was expecting our 1st son) I had a motorcycle accident which left me in a wheelchair for four months. And?...I hear you say, well there's not much to do when you can't get out and about and go to work, so I decided to write a short book for my child to read when he was older and that's where it all started. I managed to get 25,000 words written in about three months, then our first born son decided it was time to arrive and that was the end of that...I never managed to get back to writing until last year when my son (now 9 years old) decided he wanted to read the first part and has bugged me ever since to finish the book. The Problem is... that ten years or so is long time and you end up adding or coming up with new ideas, or at least my son and I did, so I had to re-write the whole first part again and the idea for the book is so large now I've had to split it between three books instead...now possibly four..we'll see.