10 Things You Wish You’d Always Known about Shock-Responsive Social Protection

The concept of improving the "shock-responsiveness" of social protection, addressing large-scale natural, economic, and political shocks, is appealing to various stakeholders, including social protection practitioners, emergency response workers, government agencies, and international humanitarian agencies. The goal is to enhance the ability of social protection programs to accommodate needs of any scale and align them with emergency response activities. The term "shock-responsive social protection" aims to produce better outcomes for people in crises, save time and energy, and build resilience to prevent shocks from turning into disasters. This brief explores the complexities and challenges of implementing this approach, drawing insights from recent real-life examples beyond the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.