Innovations in extending social insurance coverage to independent workers : experiences from Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Philippines, France and Uruguay

This document analyses the relatively successful experiences of seven developing countries and one developed country in providing coverage to independent workers. It seeks to demonstrate the links between results regarding coverage with concrete details of financing practices, management, and financial organization in Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, and Uruguay. It details national strategies which have sought to expand coverage through subsidies and targeting by income level; the experience of countries who have introduced interesting innovations in restructuring their administrative frameworks in combination with special incentive schemes, and which have achieved positive results. Lastly, it describes the cases of countries that have created special schemes for micro and small companies, and thereby had a significant impact on social security coverage.