Mind the Gap : Assessing Pakistan's National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) (English)

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was initiated in 2008 in Pakistan to aid the poor and vulnerable, particularly in response to the global financial crisis. It began with an unconditional cash transfer program, now known as Kafaalat, which has grown to support 9.3 million families by 2024. BISP also introduced conditional cash transfers to promote health and education. Over 15 years, BISP has enhanced its delivery systems, including identification, social registries, payment, and information systems, using technology and data to improve efficiency and effectiveness. The National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER), established by BISP, is a key component for determining eligibility for Kafaalat through data collected on household characteristics and assets. In 2023, NSER moved to an on-demand registration system to maintain up-to-date records, with more than 40 million families registered by 2024. The report utilizes two data sources to evaluate the completeness and accuracy of Pakistan's NSER: the NSER Quality Review Survey (QRS) and the NSER's own administrative data. The QRS, conducted between July and October 2023, interviewed 59,456 households across four provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory, collecting detailed demographic and socioeconomic data to calculate PMT scores. The NSER administrative data provided additional household information, including registration modality and date of last update.