Pakistan’s National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER)

Pakistan’s National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) is an e-government information system that electronically facilitates registration into social assistance programmes in Pakistan. It therefore performs a Social Registry function and contains data on household socioeconomic characteristics for more than 25 million households (>85% of the population).

The registry was initially created through a nationwide poverty scorecard survey conducted in 2011, to support Proxy Means Test targeting for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP, a nationwide cash transfer scheme). The data collection was managed by BISP, with the support of other independent institutions including the Pakistan Census Organisation. The NSER dataset is now being hosted by the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA), also responsible for issuing biometric national ID cards (known as CNICs). The database has achieved over 85 per cent coverage through robust outreach efforts. It has established linkages with the country’s national ID system and is used by other national and provincial programmes, which have helped to reduce duplication and to strengthen authentication functions for payments. Most recently, it has also played an important role in the COVID-19 response.

Data is currently shared via tailored data sharing protocols, primarily for targeting purposes and on an ad-hoc basis, with over 70 other programmes at Federal and Provincial level. National and International NGOs have also been experimenting with the use of NSER data for shock response: using existing data to support targeting rather than performing new registration efforts after the shock. Moreover, NADRA’s role has also expanded to providing biometric authentication (via national CNICs) for social protection payments, helping to meet know-your-customer (KYC) requirements and open accounts for previously unbanked populations.

Given the census-survey approach to registration, the 2011 data was quickly perceived as obsolete for poverty targeting purposes. Moreover, several actors have voiced concerns over data quality, lack of access for key vulnerable groups, and other issues with the PMT approach underpinning targeting for many social programmes in the country. To address these challenges, Pakistan has undergone an update of the NSER (2017-19), experimenting with two methods for registration to compare their effectiveness and efficiency: the traditional door-to-door census approach and a pilot temporary desk approach. While definitive results are not available yet, other innovations in the process are notable: the use of Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) technology for data collection, the integration of new variables, (such as those related to agro-climatic zones and livelihoods, to be used for shock response), and the design of Application Programming Interfaces for data sharing and a dashboard for real-time data management. Through more robust and accurate collection of data, the registry can support the identification of key vulnerable groups and guide the design of social protection policies accordingly.

 

To see how this example facilitated national social protection responses to the COVID pandemic, please click here

 

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Componente
Coordination and Delivery Systems