Minimum-Income Benefits in OECD Countries: Policy Design, Effectiveness and Challenges

Herwig Immervoll

No 4627, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Almost all OECD countries operate comprehensive minimum-income programmes for working-age individuals, either as last-resort safety nets alongside primary income replacement benefits, or as the principal instrument for delivering social protection. Such safety-net benefits aim primarily at providing an acceptable standard of living for families unable to earn sufficient incomes from other sources. This paper provides an overview of social assistance and other minimum-income programmes in OECD countries, summarises their main features, and highlights a number of current policy challenges.

Keywords: welfare to work; negative income tax; social assistance; poverty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 H31 H53 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 52 pages
Date: 2009-12
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

Published - published in: D. J. Besharov and K. A. Couch (eds.), 2012, Counting the Poor, Oxford University Press , 171-209. Also available as OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Paper

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Related works:
Working Paper: Minimum-Income Benefits in OECD Countries: Policy Design, Effectiveness and Challenges (2010)
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