Social protection policies and social safety net programs are essential for any society seeking to reduce poverty and the vulnerability of its citizens by providing insurance, social benefits or social assistance transfers to ameliorate socioeconomic challenges like unemployment, illness, disability and old age.
However, large-scale social protection programs can be fraught with implementation issues, delays, and subject to abuse or fraud. Such challenges are exacerbated when the government institutions or NGOs responsible for delivering social services lack reliable and complete information to manage their programs efficiently. Studies by the World Bank and other sources have shown that implementing a cohesive social protection information system is an essential success factor for social protection systems.