From the Victorian Poor Laws in nineteenth century Britain to the postwar
recovery of the 1940s, public works programs have historically
played an important role as countercyclical interventions to address seasonal
and short-term unemployment. In recent times, the role of public
works has broadened—because globalization and economic integration,
while expanding opportunities for all, has also increased the exposure to
and transmission of risk, especially to the poorest. Public works are now
being used increasingly across the developing world as an essential part of
the social protection toolkit to respond to risk and persistent poverty. And
recent flagship public works programs in Argentina, Ethiopia, India, and
elsewhere have sparked even greater interest in their effective use in
other developing-country contexts.