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Social protection in Kenya: designing a proxy means testing tool to achieve universal health coverage

Author

Listed:
  • Pius Miri Ng'ang'a
  • David Khaoya

Abstract

Health subsidization for the poor in Kenya is one of the social protection priority programs for achieving universal health care. This study aimed to develop a proxy means testing (PMT) tool that can be used by the Ministry of Health in Kenya for targeting the poor in health insurance subsidization and to determine the ability of households in the informal sector to pay for social health insurance. To develop the PMT, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression, which uses a machine learning algorithm, was used for both variable selection and prediction.

Suggested Citation

  • Pius Miri Ng'ang'a & David Khaoya, 2025. "Social protection in Kenya: designing a proxy means testing tool to achieve universal health coverage," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2025-99, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2025-99
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2025-99-social-protection-kenya-designing-proxy-means-testing-tool-achieve-universal-health.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2013. "Kenya National Safety Net Program for Results : Technical Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 16800, The World Bank Group.
    2. Grosh, M.E. & Baker, J.L., 1995. "Proxy Means Tests for Targetting Social Programs. Simulations and Speculation," Papers 118, World Bank - Living Standards Measurement.
    3. Carlo del Ninno & Bradford Mills, 2015. "Safety Nets in Africa : Effective Mechanisms to Reach the Poor and Most Vulnerable [Les filets sociaux en Afrique]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 21369, April.
    4. Vivi Alatas & Abhijit Banerjee & Rema Hanna & Benjamin A. Olken & Julia Tobias, 2012. "Targeting the Poor: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(4), pages 1206-1240, June.
    5. World Bank, 2013. "Kenya National Safety Net Program for Results : Integrated Fiduciary Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 16262, The World Bank Group.
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