Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises, Food Security, and Evolving Social Protection Mechanisms to Deal with COVID-19 in Pakistan

This project will map formal and informal small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country and provide evidence on the effectiveness of a stimulus package for SMEs to the Ministry of Industries and Production to strengthen national SME policy. Given that existing social safety nets are insufficient to support the 60% of Pakistan’s labour force which is working in informal undocumented sectors of the economy, there is an urgent need to devise a roadmap for a universal social protection regime in Pakistan. The project will help fill these information and action gaps.