Policy Brief

Towards greater poverty reduction in Zambia: Simulating potential Cash Plus reforms

The Government of the Republic of Zambia, with support from the UNU-WIDER's SOUTHMOD tax-benefit microsimulation team, working in close collaboration with the senior partners from Southern African Social Policy Research Insights (SASPRI) and Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR), as well as the International Labour Organization (ILO), partnered in the assessment of the impact of the social protection programmes in Zambia. This partnership was in a bid to assess policy options on existing social protection programmes and services to determine which social protection programme combinations yield the most optimal impact on the beneficiaries in line with the recommendations of the Integrated Framework of Basic Social Protection Programmes (IFSBPP). The Cash Plus study analysed the coverage and impacts of current social protection policies and potential Cash Plus policy reforms using MicroZAMOD, the tax-benefit microsimulation model for Zambia. The purpose of the study aimed to support the technical committee and the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS) in evidence-based decision making.