Measuring Social Protection

Florence Bonnet
Social Security Department
International Labour Office (ILO)

Regional Conference on Enhancing Social

Protection Strategy in Asia and the Pacific
Asian Development Bank, ADB
Headquarters, Manila, 21-22 April 2010

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper/presentation are the views of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of
Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data
included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. Terminology
used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.
The Social Security Inquiry as a potential
tool to collect data for SPI | Outline

Why? Social security inquiry: main

objective and rationale

What & how? Screen shots: “a guided tour in

the inquiry”

What for? Indicators online and a selection of

results from the World Social
Security Report 2010/ 2011
Concluding
Remarks SSI: potential tool to support
SPI future developments
 Why? | The ILO Social Security Inquiry
Main objective
Î Building a knowledge base at the global level
1 Objective: Collect, store and disseminate, on a regular and
sustainable basis, comparable statistics on the financing,
expenditure, benefit levels & coverage of social security
systems/programmes.
1 Rationale: Address the lack of (comparable) social security
statistics outside the OECD world

Î Collected information should

1 Allow calculation of indicators for specific social security schemes
and selected aggregate indicators at national level for as many
countries as possible;
1 Constitute a basis for analysis within the framework of studies and
research work;
1 Contribute to measure progress towards decent work with respect
to its social security dimension;
1 Be accessible to internal and external users but regulated (different
3
access according to category of users)
 What ? | The ILO Social Security Inquiry
Scope
Î Includes data on
1 Expenditure and revenue at the national and scheme levels
1 Coverage and benefit levels
1 Some background information
Î Covers both statutory schemes and some non-statutory schemes
Î Type of data | data collected at the scheme level from social security
institutions which administer the scheme
Î Functions covered
1 Old age; disability; survivors; sickness and health; unemployment;
employment injury & occupational disease; family/children, and
maternity (C102).
1 Supplemented by housing; other income support and assistance
(n.e.c.) /social exclusion
Î Compatibility | Systematic approach compatible with existing statistical
frameworks used in the EU (ESSPROS) and the OECD
Î Focus on developing countries (EU and OECD countries being covered
by existing databases — expenditure data at least)
What? | The ILO Social Security Inquiry
Main “complementary” channels for data collection
Î Channel 1 | Data collection at the country level
– Ideally: direct entry online by social security institutions
– Reality: A national coordinator and hard work of identifying
schemes and looking for information

Î Channel 2 | Including data from available international and

national sources and promoting the use of the social security
inquiry methodology and tool by other organisations (ISSA,
ADB, others)
– Data from the ISSA statistical database on social security in
developing countries included in SSI
– ADB Social Protection Index data [Expenditure & beneficiaries]
– Data available in annual or statistical reports of national social
security institutions
– OECD SOCX Social expenditure database: “Automatized” import
into the social security inquiry (under development for ESPROSS)
 SSI 2010 | Countries covered & main sources
National
ISSA countries
coordinator
(25) & Other
OECD & Eurostat
y sources
Source: ISSA statistical
Benefit expenditure
y yNational
database on from in
social security
coordinator
OECD SOCX
contacting
developing & database
collecting
countries. data
directly
y yLong
from social
Expenditure security
& Revenue
term benefits (main from
institutions
Eurostat &to(recently
schemes) inbesome Ukraine,
included)
cases
Senegal)
employment injury
y Issue: No data on coverage
y Other sources:
y yPublic scheme(s)
Completed when&possible
compulsory
for
1 statutory
Social security institutions’
schemes(e.g. Australia,
a few countries
annual and statistical reports
New-Zealand, Canada)
ADB | Social Protection Index (27) y When possible, completed &
& websites (e.g. Estonia,
updated with national available
y Data on expenditure & Malta, Israel, Jordan,
data
beneficiaries Mauritius and many others)
y Issues
1 Data collected in the context
y Comprehensive overview for
one or two years of yspecific
Stop theprojects
process (e.g.
in 2006|07.
Zambia)
The objective is to re-activate
y Issues: update and find more the network of ISSA members
detailed information y Issues: i) most efficient way to
& use SSÌ
identify schemes but also the
y Some countries partially y Complete
most the overview
costly one; ii) regularity
updated and sustainability of the
process of data collection
What? | Screen shots: “a guided tour in the inquiry”
Levels of information & sources
National level
z What?
z Economic & financial
information
z Population & Employment
z Used as denominator for indicators
z Social security expenditure &
revenue (IMF, ESSPROS)
z Sources
z International data sources
(automatic insertion)
z National sources

Scheme level
z SSI Core data
z Social security institutions |
individual scheme data
z Data entry online possible

Automatic calculation of
indicators
What? | Screen shots: “a guided tour in the inquiry”
Thailand - An Inventory of schemes
part || Textual
Textualinformation
Step 1 |
First
First part
Step
Inventory of social 2 | information
Individual
Descriptionsecurity
Description of
of the
&&
the scheme
directlinks
direct
scheme
schemes
scheme including
including
links
information
& from
information
information from
SSPTWQualitative & Quantitative
SSPTW
definition of each scheme

Second part | Quantitative information at the scheme level

Target group, Affiliated | active contributors, Expenditure & Revenue

Third part | Benefits provided by the scheme

(beneficiaries, expenditure and benefit level)
What? | Thailand – Unemployment benefit scheme
Thailand SSO Unemployment benefit
2. | Expenditure at the benefit level ¼ part of SPI_EXP
1 | Definition of benefit: function, periodicity, cash
or in-kind, means tested of not
3. | Beneficiaries ¼ part of SPI_COV
if possible by sex and age group
A benefit is defined by:
z The function covered: old age,
survivors, maternity, etc.
z Basic or supplementary benefit
z The periodicity: (periodic or not)
z The type: cash or in kind
z Beneficiaries: individuals or
households
z Means-tested or not
 What for? | Indicators at the national level
Systematic calculation of a set of aggregate indicators
z Expenditure indicators (30 indicators in total), such as
– Total social security expenditure in % of GDP
z One of the four components of the SPI Social Protection Expenditure
(SPEXP)
– Expenditure by social security branch
z Coverage indicators by function (or social security branch) – around 10 indicators
per social security branch
– Protection indicators (contributors and affiliated), such as:
Trends in the number of active contributors in proportion of the working age (or
economically active population) by function

– Recipients indicators (beneficiaries)

Trends in the number of beneficiaries for a given contingency (e.g. Old age
pensioners (at all ages or above retirement age) as a proportion of elderly
population (%))
z Included in the SPI calculation Social Protection Coverage (SPCOV)

● Available for one country

● Comparison of levels and trends between countries for a given indicator
● Consultation of all available indicators for a given country
● Depending on data availability and type of indicators
● Trends from 2000 to 2008 (especially for old age & unemployment)
● Results for total and by sex
What for? | Aggregate indicators: Consultation of
- All available indicators by country
- All countries for a given indicator
Section indicators | national aggregated indicators

National aggregated indicators

OptionChina
2 | ViewofallAllavailable
Consultation countriesindicators
for
a givenfrom 2000 to 2008
Option 1 Consultation of All available

indicator
indicators for a given country

Elderly (above retirement age) receiving an old age pension (%)

View all indicators for this country

 Old-age pensioners (all ages) as a
proportion of the elderly population (%)

0
20
40
60
80
100
Bhutan 1
Papua New 1
Cambodia 3
Lao PDR 6
Vanuatu 9

20%

retirement pension
Tonga 10

receiving an old age

Percentage of elderly
10

Less than
Fiji
Philippines 17

Old age coverage < 20%

Bangladesh 18
Tuvalu 20
Thailand 20
Yemen 21
Lebanon 22
Indonesia 23 zAsiaOld
and
India 24
Sri Lanka 25
age
zWorld: 40%
Pakistan 26
40%
Maldives 27
Pacific:

Asia & the 31

Korea, Rep. 34
pension

Viet Nam 34
31%

China
coverage between 20-

36
Bahrain 37
Malaysia 37
World 40
Mongolia 60
Marshall 63
Nauru 65
Nepal 67
Japan 68
Hong Kong 72
Kazakhstan 76
Australia 81
Moldova 88
Tajikistan 90
Armenia 93
Azerbaijan 98
N Zealand 100
Coverage over 60%

100
& non-contributory schemes) — Proportion of elderly receiving a pension

Kyrgyzstan
What for? | Indicators: Old age pension coverage (contributory

Uzbekistan 100
 Concluding remarks (1) | SPI data in SSI format
Overview of Correspondences
In common
Î A common objective
– Compile statistical information on SP
schemes at national level
– Provide an overview of social programs at
the national level & provides a starting
point for policy implications
Î Scope / components of social
protection
– Covers both formal and informal schemes
– Both Public and Private programs
Components
– Labour Market programs
– Social Insurance Programs
– Social Assistance and Welfare Programs
– Area- community schemes
– Child protection
Î Social protection data and indicators
– Social Protection expenditure [data and
some indicators]
– Social Protection coverage data [number
of beneficiaries]
Some differences…
Î Beyond the present scope of SSI objective:
– SPI | Ranking countries through an
index·
– SSI | Set of indicators but no index and
no ranking of countries
Î Outside the usual scope of SSI
– Micro-credit/ finance schemes except if
associated with micro-insurance
– Agricultural insurance
Î SSI covers health including health care
provision
Î SSI : Wider range of data
– Information on target groups, protected
persons and actual beneficiaries; data
differentiated by sex and age
Î SPI: Social protection targeting the poor
In its present stage, SSI does not take into
account the two last SPI’s components
– Poverty Targeting (PTR)
– Social Protection Impact (SPIMP)
Concluding remarks (2) |
SSI to support SPI future developments
Î There is need for data and we face some common challenges
– Availability & quality of statistical information in particular in
developing countries
– Fragmentation of interventions: Multiplicity of actors and higher share
of non governmental interventions
– Deficit of coordination & network of social protection providers and
social protection statistics providers at the national level
Î Combining efforts: develop partnerships and set up agreed and shared
methodologies (and indicators), build a network of collaborators

Î SSI as a tool for data collection for the future development (and
expansion) of the SPI
─ SSI can already welcome two of the four components of SPI: SPEXP
and SPCOV
─ Ready for next steps:
─ necessary technical adjustments to include schemes’ data for the
two other components;
─ taking stock of experience, working actively on methodological
issues (including on health), adding the gender dimension, etc.
 Î Useful links @
Î Links to databases
– International Labour Office
z Social Security Statistics
z ILO Social Security Inquiry
– In limited access
http://www.ilo.org/dyn/ilossiadmin/
Vplease ask for a username and password (contact)
– In free access to a limited set of information
http://www.ilo.org/dyn/ilossi/

z Cost of Social security

z Social Security Expenditure Database z Direct links to manuals
z GESS
z Micro-insurance scheme database
– EU | European Union
z EUROPA - Eurostat – International Labour Office
z Europa - Social Protection z ILO Social security inquiry manual
– IMF | International Monetary Fund
z Government Finance Statistics Yearbook – EU | Eurostat
z IMF Government Finance Statistics z ESSPROS database Manual
– ISSA | International Social Security Association
z ISSA members
z ISSA database
– OECD
z Social Expenditure Database (SOCX OECD)
– UN | United Nations
z UN National Accounts
– WHO | World Health Organization
WHO National health accounts (NHA)
– ADB | Asian Development Bank
z ADB Social Protection Index
– Other
z Social Assistance Database Version4
15