Includes bibliographical references. Reducing vulnerability and increasing opportunity : Social protection in the Middle East and North Africa. (2002). Washington, DC : World Bank.

The challenges of social protection: identifying risks and vulnerable groups in the MENA region -- Assessing social risks in the MENA region -- The constraints to sustainable growth -- The constraints to full employment -- Demographic factors and growing demand for basic services and infrastructure -- Identifying vulnerable population groups -- Population trends in the MENA region -- Poverty -- Vulnerable population groups -- Assessing current formal and informal mechanisms for social protection -- Managing social risks -- Informal mechanisms -- Managing portfolios of crops, livestock, and off-farm employment -- Kinship networks and families -- Religious charitable contributions -- Migration -- Neglect of human capital -- Formal mechanisms outside the traditional social protection system -- Education and training -- Health -- Price regulations and subsidies -- Formal public mechanisms within the traditional social protection system -- AMLPs: job search assistance, vocational training wage subsidy programs, and microfinance -- Social insurance: pensions and unemployment insurance -- Social assistance programs: public works and safety net programs -- Strengthening the social protection system: setting priorities and reallocating resources -- The key to lower risks: improving efficiency in economic management -- Macroeconomic management -- Good governance -- Labor market reforms -- Eliminating price distortions -- Strengthening regulatory institutions -- Reducing vulnerability: improving efficiency in education and health expenditures -- Education and training -- Health -- Mitigating and coping with risks: redefining priorities for the social protection system -- Reforming pension systems -- Reducing government involvement in ALMPs and microfinance -- Selectively strengthening risk-coping mechanisms -- The World Bank's role -- World Bank involvement in social protection -- Directions for the future -- Increased emphasis on social insurance -- Maintain and expand levels of operations on labor and training issues -- Introduce innovations in social funds and community development (including gender and children's issues) -- Knowledge management -- Key partnerships

This report provides a framework for a more integrated approach to social protection in the Middle East and North Africa region. It proposes a strategy to guide the reform of social protection system region.