Adaptive social protection is critical in addressing recurrent climate shocks and poverty in Pakistan but our research in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suggests that its effectiveness is limited due to fragmented governance, elite capture, and gendered disparities in access to support.
While formal state-led systems are central pillars of social protection provision, non-governmental organizations, informal networks and community-based organizations often fill critical gaps.
The coexistence of these formal and informal systems requires a more integrated, inclusive, and context-sensitive approach to social protection. This has broader implications for designing equitable and resilient social protection systems in fragile, vulnerable settings in the face of escalating climate risks.
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Ayub Jan, M.; Aman, S.; Zaman, T. and Aman, S. (2025) ‘Social Protection and Climate-Induced Displacement in Pakistan’, BASIC Research Policy Briefing 18, Brighton: Institute of Development Studies, DOI: 10.19088/IDS.2025.048
