During the period of the Great Depression, farmers were asked not to produce and they were paid for not producing. This intervention was carried out to stop food prices from falling; and to protect smallholder farmers. The two American presidents (Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt) both set price floors on agricultural products so that farm produce would not become tons-a-kobo. In 2005, Indonesia more than doubled fuel prices; while in 2008, the country increased fuel product prices by 25-33 per cent. What was realised through this measure were used to finance a cash compensation program to 15.5 million poor families. Jordan also adopted and implemented this mechanism that same time. It was a huge success for the two countries that shows how government can effectively use social safety nets as part of measures to reduce impacts of shocks when carrying out economic reforms.
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