The design and implementation of public works programs. A toolkit for practitionners

The objective of this Toolkit is to provide guidance to policy makers and practitioners on ‘how to’ aspects in designing and implementing public works programs. The toolkit draws on past experiences of several country typologies where programs have been in operation and will propose a prototype set of procedures based on existing implementation manuals and documented experiences.

The toolkit responds to the increasingly dominant use of public works programs as a safety net instrument both in middle and low income contexts. Of the many safety net programs, the role of public workfare programs has received considerable attention in the recent past, mainly because of their attractiveness in information- and capacity-constrained countries, their particular suitability as a safety net against weather-induced shocks, and the scope for self-targeting without the need for administrative inputs. This Toolkit deals with only and exclusively public workfare programs.

World Bank - 2008