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Sudan Social Safety Net AssessmentThe Sudanese population has suffered
 from years of conflict, and deep-seated security issues have
 severely hampered Sudan s long-term economic stability and
 social development. As a consequence, Sudan is struggling to
 meet its MDGs. Since the secession of South Sudan, Sudan has
 lost a considerable part of its oil production and fiscal
 revenues. At the same time, the Government recognizes social
 safety nets as important instruments for reducing poverty.
 This report provides an analysis of the state of social
 safety nets in Sudan which shows that Sudan s existing
 safety net programs are limited in coverage, lack
 coordination, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The
 report suggests (i) reallocation of savings from the fuel
 subsidy reform to targeted pro-poor safety net programs;
 (ii) strengthening of the existing safety net through
 monitoring the outcomes, strong controls and social
 accountability, and a culture of evaluation, and (iii)
 development of a coherent National Social Protection Policy.
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Ukraine : Poverty Assessment, Poverty and Inequality in a Growing EconomyThis Poverty report is aimed at improving the understanding of poverty in Ukraine, and providing linkages between growth, the evolution of economic sectors, and poverty. The main findings can be summed up as follows: An absolute poverty line and a revised consumption aggregate -- jointly developed with Ukraine experts -- indicate that around 19 percent of the population lived in poverty by 2003. While in 1999 Ukraine had a poverty incidence higher than Poland, Russia, Lithuania, or Bulgaria, by 2003 it was the lowest compared with these countries. The overall improvement, however, has been paralleled by an increasing poverty gap between rural and urban households, reflecting the fast but unbalanced economic growth: The growth experience has not changed the rather stagnant level of employment. The improvement in labor markets are associated to gains in productivity and efficiency with resulting wage gains. There is also increased differentiation within workers since the fraction of underemployment has also increased, reflecting partly the subsistence agriculture, and precarious labor markets in some small towns. The combined effects of higher productivity but lower employment in commercial farms left real incomes in agriculture lagging behind other sectors. Rural areas had a slower reduction in poverty due to the combined effect of weather shocks, and restructuring in agriculture. The government has played a critical role in reducing poverty by increasing substantially the social insurance transfers. Other government transfers have become better targeted but still have very limited coverage. The reduction of poverty, however, provides a window of opportunity to reform the safety net system in order to effectively target the poor.
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Macedonia, former Yugoslav Republic of - Poverty, Jobs and Firms : An Assessment for 2002–2006This poverty assessment report is based
 upon pre-crisis data for the period 2002-2006. Though some
 may have reservations that this information base is not well
 suited to informing public policy choices of today, this
 view would be short-sighted. Economic development is not an
 overnight occurrence. It is also not something that can be
 reversed through an economic shock, no matter how virulent.
 The analysis of data from the first half of this decade
 reveals small though perceptible shifts in the transmission
 channels for poverty reduction, that is, labor markets and
 enterprises. Thus, the reform process which began earlier
 this decade indeed saw some positive changes emerging in the
 real sector. These are captured in this report and provide
 an understanding of how the complex issue of poverty can be
 addressed in the future. The remainder of this executive
 summary provides an overview of the main findings of the
 analysis. The following main areas discussed in the poverty
 assessment: (i) a description of the extent of poverty, the
 characteristics of the poor, trends in non-income and income
 dimensions of poverty over 2002-2006, and inequality; (ii)
 the role of economic growth, employment changes, and social
 transfers in affecting poverty rates; (iii) job dynamics and
 the characteristics of firm birth and destruction and its
 linkages to job opportunities, labor productivity, and
 long-term income growth; and (iv) policy reforms that will
 lead to poverty reduction.