LAUSR

In 2016, the government of Myanmar began the implementation of the National Social Protection Strategy Plan (NSPSP). This is a significant step since it addresses social assistance for the majority of the population outside the formal sector for the first time in a systematic manner, moving beyond the few fragmented social transfers in place earlier. The adoption of the strategic plan was propelled by a combination of political factors. Technically, it builds on the life cycle approach of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPFI). It follows a universal, basic income security approach. This article offers cost calculations based on three different social protection transfer options: a social pension, an education grant and a combined mother and child benefit. The calculations conclude that such transfers can easily be covered from the government’s fiscal budget, and the fiscal and gross domestic product (GDP) shares would actually decrease over time, given population growth dynamics. This reinforces the political and social case for universal social protection in Myanmar.