The Effectiveness of Targeting: Options for Uganda

This paper attempts to clarify the concept of targeting within the context of Uganda and discuss the most effective means of ensuring that ‘the poor’ and vulnerable are included in social security schemes. It begins by discussing who are ‘the poor’ in Uganda before moving onto a discussion about what is meant by the term ‘targeting’. It goes on to examine the effectiveness of different forms of targeting, before moving onto discussing different approaches to targeting and their potential effectiveness in Uganda, focusing on two common forms: the proxy means test and community-based targeting, and the main alternative, inclusive social security.