Social Protection Policies in Poverty Alleviation in Pakistan

Abstract

Poverty in Pakistan remains a persistent and multidimensional challenge, intensified in recent years by economic instability, high inflation, climate-induced shocks, and structural governance constraints. In response, social protection has emerged as a central policy instrument aimed at mitigating vulnerability and promoting inclusive development. This study examines the role of social protection policies in poverty alleviation in Pakistan, with particular emphasis on flagship programs such as the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and the Ehsaas framework. Relying exclusively on secondary data, the research synthesizes evidence from national household surveys, multidimensional poverty indices, program evaluations, government documents, and peer-reviewed literature to assess impacts on income poverty, human development, gender empowerment, targeting efficiency, and shock responsiveness. The findings indicate that social protection interventions have contributed significantly to short-term poverty mitigation by stabilizing household consumption, improving food security, and enhancing resilience during economic and health crises, notably the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender-targeted cash transfers have also generated positive empowerment outcomes for women. However, the analysis reveals that these gains remain limited and uneven. Persistent multidimensional deprivation, exclusion and inclusion errors in targeting, benefit inadequacy, and institutional weaknesses constrain the transformative potential of social protection. Moreover, while emergency responses to economic and climate shocks have demonstrated administrative capacity, the absence of institutionalized shock-responsive and climate-adaptive mechanisms undermines long-term poverty reduction. Drawing on comparative insights from successful developing-country models, the study argues that social protection in Pakistan must move beyond fragmented cash assistance toward an integrated, rights-based, and development-oriented system. Strengthening institutional coordination, enhancing benefit adequacy, improving targeting through dynamic data systems, and linking social protection with human capital development and labor markets are essential for achieving sustainable poverty reduction.