Social Exclusion and Access to Social Protection schemes
Exclusion from social protection remains a significant challenge. This study, based on interviews with researchers and programme implementers in Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda, and a literature review and experience across many countries, explores factors behind this.
Launch of Lesotho’s National Social Protection Strategy
In our latest Pathways Perspectives edition, Launch of Lesotho’s National Social Protection Strategy, our contributors Bazlul Khondker and Nicholas Freeland explore the practical achievements of the strategy development process. They also...
Tackling Mental Health: a FundaMental starting point
Everyone’s talking about mental health – particularly its effect on the world’s poorest countries. But what do we do about it? Where do we start? Jessica Mackenzie suggests four crucial steps.
Cash transfer design can strengthen or weaken social relationships, universities find
A university research project to identify the impact of cash transfers on social relationships has uncovered that cash transfers are viewed as invaluable for poverty reduction by recipients – but...
Under threat: social protection that includes everybody in their old age?
October 1st is the International Day of Older Persons, this year about ensuring older people can fully contribute to society. It’s a day for everyone, since we all hope to reach old age and enjoy long and fruitful lives. And, of course, none of us want our last years destroyed...
The Social Protection Flaw – or how not to win fiscal space for entitlements
The many disadvantages to poverty-targeted social protection include the fact that they never become entitlements that attract popular demand and the financial backing of governments, writes Nicholas Freeland, independent consultant. Freeland highlights...
Social Accountability in the Delivery of Social Protection South Africa Case Study
Social accountability initiatives that aim to engage citizens over South African social security entitlements have not strengthened the state-society relationship. It is also “difficult to attribute action to remove gaps in service delivery”...
Social Protection and Disability in South Africa
This working paper launches a new series of publications that identify good practice in enabling the inclusion of persons with disabilities in social protection systems and programmes. It finds that...
When and how citizen engagement can improve social protection programme delivery
Social protection schemes are often implemented in contexts characterised by weak accountability of government officials to citizens. Strengthening accountability is important to ensure the quality delivery of social protection and to build better relations between citizens and the state. One way of strengthening accountability is through increased involvement of citizens in social...
“Redistributive” social protection key tool for addressing rising inequality, says global coalition
Rising inequality is a setback for the Sustainable Development Goals and must be combatted by improving coverage and adequacy of social protection systems, according to the Global Coalition for Social...