Strengthening Digital Social Safety Nets
Lessons from Bangladesh’s Old Age Allowance
Policy insights from research on digitalization, data relations, and inclusion in Bangladesh’s social protection systems.
Executive Summary
Bangladesh’s Old Age Allowance (OAA) program—one of the country’s longest-running social safety nets—was fully digitalized in 2021. Digitalization has improved administrative efficiency, reduced leakage, and expanded access to payments. However, it has also introduced new forms of exclusion for elderly beneficiaries with low digital literacy, who now depend heavily on intermediaries to access their entitlements. Based on collaborative research by DataSense and the University of Edinburgh, this policy brief examines how digitalization has reshaped access, accountability, and data governance in the OAA system. It highlights key gains in efficiency, persistent challenges in transparency and data protection, and practical policy measures to ensure Bangladesh’s social protection systems remain inclusive, transparent, and secure.
