The “ASPIRE in Action: Tools and Methods for Measuring Social Protection Performance” webinar introduced participants to the World Bank’s Atlas of Social Protection Indicators of Resilience and Equity (ASPIRE)—the premier global resource for analyzing the reach and impact of social protection and labor programs. Developed by the Social Protection and Labor Global Practice, ASPIRE compiles comprehensive indicators for over 140 countries, using both administrative program data and national representative household surveys. The session highlighted ASPIRE’s robust methodology for identifying, classifying, and interpreting performance and expenditure indicators across social assistance, social insurance, and labor market interventions, enabling meaningful cross-country comparisons and supporting evidence-based policy making.

Participants also benefited from a live demonstration of the ASPIRE portal, gaining practical experience in accessing essential social protection and labor data. The portal provides insights into social protection and labor spending as a percentage of GDP and offers a range of performance indicators—including coverage, overlap, contribution to income and consumption, targeting efficiency, benefit-cost ratios, and simulated impacts on poverty and inequality—across up to 132 countries. These metrics are further broken down by program category, population group, welfare quintile, and extreme poverty status. By the end of the session, participants were well-equipped to use ASPIRE’s resources to evaluate both the expenditure and effectiveness of social protection and labor worldwide.

Speakers:

• Victor Sulla, Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank
• Ana Sofia Martinez, Social Protection Specialist, World Bank
• Maria Belen Fontenez, Consultant, World Bank

Moderator: Aaron F Buchsbaum, Senior Knowledge Management and Learning Officer, World Bank