The Effectiveness of the Aswesuma Social Protection Policy in improving the Living Standards of Low – Income Families: A Study of Public Policy Implementation in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study examines effectiveness of the Aswesuma social protection policy in improving the living standards of low – Income families in Sri Lanka. Aswesuma was introduced as a major government social protection program to provide financial assistance to vulnerable and low – income households and to reduce poverty. The research problem is, Although the Aswesuma social protection policy was introduced to improve the living standards of low-income families in Sri Lanka, why does it not fully achieve its intended objectives? The main purpose of writing this research paper, critically analyze the effectiveness of the Aswesuma social protection policy in improving the living standards of low – income families in Sri Lanka. And also sub purposes are, to examine the impact of the Aswesuma policy on the living standards of low – income families, to identify the main challenges in implementing the Aswesuma policy, to assess the contribution of Aswesuma to reducing the economic difficulties of beneficiary families and to examine whether the Aswesuma program actually reaches poor and low- income families. The writing of this article uses quantitative method. The sample for the study consists of 100 people from the Moraketiya gramaniladhari division, Embilipitiya divisional secretariat. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The study examines key areas such as household income, food security, access to education and healthcare and the ability to meet basic needs. Through this study, Aswesuma program improves living conditions in low-income families, financial support is insufficient, reduce only short-term poverty, needs further improvements like this help to begin small business and some poor families are excluded in this program these findings were able to identified in examine the effectiveness of the Aswesuma social protection policy in improving the living standards of low-income families in Sri Lanka.