The basic thrust of the social risk management framework is supported by two established facts: (i) The poor are typically most exposed to diverse risks, whether they are natural (such as earthquakes, flooding or illness) or man-made ( such as unemployment, environmental degradation or war), and (i) the poor have the fewest instruments to deal with these risks ( such as access to government provided income support and market-based instruments like insurance). This facts have important consequences, most importantly: (i) the poor are the most vulnerable in society and shocks are likely to have the strongest welfare consequences for them. For welfare reasons, therefore, they should have increase access to social risk management instruments: and (ii) the high vulnerability makes them risk averse and thus unable or unwilling to engage in higher risk/higher return activities. Hence, access to social risk management instruments would tend to make the poor more risk-taking and thus provide the opportunity to gradually move out of poverty.