Targeted Social Assistance in Kazakhstan.

Abstract

Social protection programs have now become important in alleviating poverty and vulnerability at the national and international levels. Social protection policies are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals - especially SDG 01 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) because they offer income support to the most vulnerable in the society. This assistance enhances social inclusion and human development. The TSA is the main component of the social protection policy in Kazakhstan. It is intended to alleviate poverty and assist struggling families through means tested cash transfers in line with SDGs. Despite the importance and achievements of this policy, there are issues related to the accessibility of the program and administrative challenges. This study examines the accessibility and selection criteria of the TSA program in Kazakhstan, and the experiences and views of social workers who are directly engaged in the administration of the program. The study adopts a qualitative research approach and empirical data collected using semi-structured interviews and direct observations. Semi structured interviews were conducted on social workers who work in career centers and who administer the TSA program. This method was adopted to capture situation-based information and data on the day-to-day administrative practices, interpretation of eligibility and selection criteria as well as the relationship between the social workers and applicants to the TSA program. These insights are not indicated in official reports and policy documents related to the program. Direct non-participant observation was conducted to complement interviews, and it enabled researchers to explore the mechanism of administration, interaction between the clients and staff and other organizational processes in their natural institutional settings, thus adding more depth and credibility to the results. The findings of the study indicate that though the TSA plays a vital role in the support of low-income households in Kazakhstan; it is constrained by a number of institutional and procedural issues. The major obstacles to enrollment are complex eligibility criteria, documentation issues, limited knowledge about the benefits and misinterpretation of the regulations by the frontline workers. Social workers also face severe administrative pressure and lack of resources which diminish their credibility in offering valuable guidance and support to TSA applicants. This can create conflict between the formal policy goals and interpretation of these goals, particularly issues of targeting and social equity.

The paper concludes that the TSA in Kazakhstan can be improved by addressing the ambiguous eligibility and selection criteria, the complicated documentation procedures, and increasing support to social workers. The study provides a clear understanding of accessibility challenges encountered by applicants to the program through the perceptions and experiences of social workers who administer the program in different centers of the country. Moreover, the findings of this study are useful to policymakers in improving social protection measures in Kazakhstan since it provides a more distinct picture of eligibility criteria and how to implement them in social assistance