Social protection is one of the key strategies for fighting against long-lasting and inter-generational poverty in Bangladesh. The concept has significantly evolved both in scale and scope in recent times. Targeted pro-poor interventions in public services and safety net programs have been scaled up. However, access to institutions is an issue of grave concern, especially for poor people. Although recent years have witnessed almost 100 per cent school enrolment, dropout rate is still high, especially among the ultra-poor children. Advocacy is BRAC’s latest tool to address the critical issues of accessibility and utilization of resources by the ultra-poor. Looking at social protection interventions through the conceptual lens of ‘social exclusion’, this study seeks to understand how and why the poorest face constraints in gaining access to public services and entitlements, and why the ultra-poor children discontinue regular schooling and drop out of primary education. Built on a mixed-method approach, the study identifies a number of important mechanisms through which the poorest are excluded from their entitlements. There are a number of mediating processes through which they are included, but allegedly often in the elites’ terms and conditions. Besides, the study highlights a number of critical factors that force children to discontinue schooling.
Authors: Ara, Jinnat; Ahasan, Abu; Ahmad, Sibbir; Kamruzzaman, Md
Type: Report
Year: 2015
