The government has issued welfare benefit cards to about half of the Dominican population, the intent being to complement the income of the poor. This means state subsidies have increased 45% in the past five years, since the start of the Abinader administration, Diario Libre reports.
An analysis by the Regional Center for Sustainable Economic Strategies (Crees) has revealed that in 2024, more than 5.5 million Dominicans, or more than half of the population, received some form of government assistance. The number of beneficiaries has increased by 45% in the past five years, from 3.8 million in 2019 to 5.5 million in 2024.
In 2022, 51.1% of the population received aid from taxpayer-funded programs, a 3% increase from 2023. Crees attributes the increase to the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the government expanded its subsidy programs to help citizens cope with high inflation rates.
The beneficiaries of these programs fall into three categories:
• Members of households enrolled in the Supérate program
• Public employees registered with the Superintendence of Health and Labor Risks (Sisalril)
• State pensioners, according to the Retirement and Pensions under the State Agency (DGJP)
The Aliméntate program has the highest number of beneficiaries, with 962,431 households receiving assistance in 2020. Other programs with a high number of beneficiaries include Bonogas Hogar, Bonoluz, Avanza, and the Food Supplement for the Elderly.
The study also found that the number of public employees increased by 13.7% between 2019 and 2024, while the number of pensioners increased by 70.09%.
Crees argues that the government’s focus on subsidies has come at the expense of structural reforms that would promote economic growth and job creation. The organization also expressed concern about the growing dependence of Dominicans on public resources, which it says demonstrates that the fundamentals of the economy have not been strengthened.
“While these measures may seem like a solution in the short term, and while public policies to increase productivity and improve the business environment are ignored, the reality is undeniable: welfare measures do not replace job creation policies,” Crees stated. “Moreover, they show that once implemented, a strong determination is needed to dismantle them.”
In an editorial, Diario Libre says that the increase in welfare allotments would seem to be in contradiction with the economic progress that is much touted by the government. “The improvement in the economy and the noticeable macroeconomic stability of the country should be reflected in a reduced dependence of citizens on social assistance,” says the editorial writer.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
20 February 2025