Social Protection in the Caribbean: Processes, Lessons Learnt and Institutional Context

Puente in the Caribbean Program – Phase IIIntroductory Workshop

May 27-29, 2009Castries, St. Lucia

PRESENTER: MS. JOVIL MARTIN, DIRECTOR COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

St. Kitts and Nevis

Profile

• Two island Federation, Nevis being the smaller• Population: 47,000 (2003), Nevis (9,600)• 2004 UNDP Human Development Index ranks St. Kitts and Nevis 39th

among 174 countries

• St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest nation in the Caribbean region

siteresources.worldbank.org/.../StKittsandNevisCountryOverview.pdf

Political context

• Independent since 1983

• Last election was held in 2004. The current administration, the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party, has three terms

• There is a National Assembly in St. Kitts that provides for eleven elected representatives, eight from St. Kitts and three from Nevis.

• Separate elections are held for the National Assembly and the Nevis Island Assembly. The executive function of government is carried out by the Cabinet while legislative authority rests with the Parliament.

• There is no local government in St. Kitts

• The Nevis Island Assembly and the Nevis Island Administration have legislative and administrative responsibility for Nevis within the confines of the Federal structure

• Nevis, has its own executive branch (Nevis Island Administration)

• A number of referenda on secession from St. Kitts have been held, but have not passed.

Economic Context

• Sugar industry closed in 2005• Undergoing a transition to tourism and financial services

• GDP (2007): $477.4 million.• GDP growth rate (2006): 5.8%. • Per capita GDP (2006): $8,546.• Inflation (2006): 5.25%.

• In2007 the main economic activity in the country were banking and insurance, construction, manufacturing and wholesale/retail representing 55.5 percent of GDP

• Total public and publicly guaranteed debt grew from 178.32% in 2005 to 185% in 2007

Economic Context

• There is a self-imposed structural programme

• A programme of investment incentives for businesses, to encourage domestic and foreign private investment

• Policies provide liberal tax holidays, duty-free import of equipment and materials, and subsidies for training provided to local personnel.

• Official exchange rate: EC$2.70 = U.S. $1.

Social Context

• Life expectancy for men 65, women 75

• The literacy rate is 98%.

• Education is compulsory for all children 5-16

• Since 1972 all students reaching the age of twelve are guaranteed a place in secondary schools

• Universal access also to health care

• 2002 pegged poverty at 30% with 14% of the people living below the indigence line of EC $200.00 month

• 67.8% of the poor are under twenty-five years of age,

• 56% of the poor are women

• Inherited a social assistance policy model based on the English Poor Law tradition

• Social Assistance Act 1998

• Crime and violence on the increase

• Teenage pregnancy

• Drug abuse

Programmes Areas of focus Persons targeted Institution

School Uniforms

National Skills , Project Strong

School feeding programme

Day care centers

Student education and learning fund

School buses

Education

Education/Labour markets

Nutrition, human capital

Education

Children of parents earning minimum wage or unemployed

School leavers/drop outs

All Primary school children

Children from poor households

All primary and exams fees

All primary school children

Public

Public Private partnership

Public and Private

Public

Public

Travel and medical care

Prescriptions, dental

Lenses

Fee waivers for health care,

Health Poor households

Children and elderly

Children and poor adults

Children and elderly

Public/NGO

Public/private

Private

Public

Funeral grants

Food vouchers

Cash transfer

Rent assistance

Fire victims

Home repairs

Low cost housing

Social assistance

Hunger/nutrition/poverty reduc

Housing

Social assistance

Housing/environmental health

Housing

Poor households

Women w/childre, eldery, disable, mentally challenged

Poor households

Poor household

Poor households

Women w/children/poor househols

Public

Public

Public

Public/NGO/CBO

Public

Public

INSTITUTIONAL MAPPING

Programmes Area of focus Persons targeted Institution

Basic Needs Trust Fund Infrastructure, construction, minor maintenance for education and health facilities, skills training and upgrading, institutional strengthening, public awareness and information and project management and implementation

Communities

Poor people within communities

Public/CDB/CIDA

Home care for the Elderly Home for the Elderly

Home for vulnerable children

Foster Care Programme

Health and social care

Health, housing, social care

Housing & social care

Social care, housing

Elderly

Elderly, disabled, mentally challenged

Children, teenagers

Children, teenagers

Public

Public and private

Public

Public

INSTITUTIONAL MAPPING

STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT

Ministry Programmes Targeting

Ministry of Health, SDC & GA Food voucher, cash transfers, school uniform, funeral grants, home repairs

Travel and medical care, Prescriptions, dental

Lenses

Fee waivers for health care and medicines

Home care for the Elderly, Home for the Elderly, Home for vulnerable children, foster care programme

Basic Needs Trust Fund

Community Development

Means tested

Categorical/means tested

Means tested, plus contingency targeting

Categorical

Categorical targeted plus means tested

Expressed need

Ministry of Education and Youth

Youth Skills, Project STRONG

School feeding programmes school buses

Student education and learning fund Social Security

Self targeting

Non targeting, universal

Categorical , self selected

Ministry of lands and Housing Low income homes and land Means tested

REGISTRY SYSTEM

WHO WHEN BY WHOM Information required

For what purpose Are there multiple systems mechanisms

Women with families

Elderly

Poor households

Vulnerable groups, unemployed

By referral

Either by self or other

When application is made

Min. H,SDC & GA

Min Education

Min. Lands and housing

Social Security

Income, expenditure

Nature of problem

Medical reports

Pay slips

Declaration of all sources of income

Inability to provide service requested

For making a judgment of service benefit and level of benefit

Most programmes are means tested but some are more well targeted than others.

Some have leakage to the non poor and significant pressure by the non poor to access the services

Services in different agencies

Key issues

• St. Kitts and Nevis has many good social protection programmes Shows government commitment.

• Services are Non conditional, systems of graduation not built in. Creates a high level of dependency

• Improvements are needed in the coordination of the different agencies and services

• There is a lack of a social policy framework which contributes to overlapping of functions and duplication of effort/services

• Shift from social assistance to social development is required

KEY ISSUES

• Economy is vulnerable and Public debt will remain high for many years to come

• Social Services have suffered /shrinking budget in the face of downturn in economy

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS For Social Development and Poverty Reduction

European Union funded Institutional Strengthening for Social

And Economic Development Project 1. Policy Review • Rationalization of policy/operations to match resources• A transparent targeting framework• Capacity Building to withstand external pressure

2. Systems• Streamline systems of delivery of the various benefits• Means testing to minimize leakage• Reviewing targeting mechanisms

3. Resources

• Institutional Review• Financial management systems

Concordia University1. Management Information System

UWI

1. Research

Building Partnerships

Chile Puente Programme

Implementation of Chile Puente in St Kitts and Nevis will need thesebasic processes addressed in order to succeed

THANK YOU