This low level of social protection coverage exists in part because
building and expanding social protection systems is not without its
difficulties. Some of these are not uncommon in developing and
middle-income countries, such as human resources and
administrative capacity. In addition, social protection faces some
specific challenges:
Financing. Affordability remains a concern for many
governments, particularly where revenues are low or
unpredictable. In light of the increasing numbers of developing
countries adopting or expanding programmes, however, the
equally important question is how these programmes are
financed in different contexts. An increasing number of
countries have used different options for financing social
protection, and greater shared practice and understanding on
how different countries have been able to sustainably finance
social protection is needed. Integrated systems and collaboration across sectors. Particularly
when viewed through the MDG lens, social protection requires
an integrated approach -which combines different social
protection interventions with investments in social services - in
order to be most effective in achieving human and economic
development outcomes. However, adopting this approach faces
both political and practical challenges in terms of coordination,
sequencing, and resources. These synergies are often under-
utilized, and in some cases programme conflicts or
inconsistencies arise. Context-specific design. The growing body of practice and
evidence on social protection offers substantial lessons across
countries. Nonetheless, work remains in understanding which
programmes and modalities work best in different contexts. Participation and Accountability. In many developing countries,
citizen participation in social protection design, implementation
and monitoring is also weak. For long-term sustainability and
effectiveness of social protection programmes however,
transparency, participation, and accountability mechanisms are
crucial.