Despite its explicit commitment to supporting states to achieve universal social protection, the World Bank has consistently promoted poverty-targeted programmes, as well as conditional cash transfer programmes and workfare. This panel examined the implications of these policies and other approaches. Matthew Greenslade presented key messages from his book, Taking on the Bank: A story from the fight for universal social protection, which challenges the World Bank’s approach to social protection over the last two decades.

Under the sponsorship of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal, the Shamil project “Moving Forward with a Shared Agenda for Social Protection” was launched on Wednesday, 6 March 2024. Funded by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Shamil is a consortium led by UK consultancy firm Development Pathways in collaboration with national partners Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) and MMIS Management Consultants, which aims to advance efforts towards building an inclusive and sustainable social protection system in Jordan.

While universal social protection is broadly embraced as a goal or at least “a vision”, most social security programmes in low- and middle-income countries are poverty-targeted rather than universal, especially if they are supported by international development partners. The standard argument that “universal social security is simply not affordable in poor countries” typically overrides all arguments for universality.

In this webinar, it was argued that:

1. It is financially feasible to introduce universal old age pensions, as well as child and disability benefits, in low- and middle-income countries, using the examples of Ghana, India, Uganda, and Vietnam
2. The gradual introduction of these benefits will reduce income poverty in a dramatic way.
3. Worldwide, 52 low- and middle-income countries have already introduced 88 programs that guarantee universal access to such lifecycle benefits. Overwhelmingly, these programs are led and financed entirely by national governments.

Read more about the webinar discussions and access the slide presentation.

Panellists: Daisy Sibun and Stephen Kidd – Development Pathways

Discussant: Shirin Gul, Director – Government of Kiribati

Moderator: Gunnel Axelsson Nycander – Act Church of Sweden

The webinar “Be an expert universal social security advocate” was moderated by Lena Simet, Senior Researcher and Advocate, Human Rights Watch.

Stephen Kidd, CEO, Development Pathways (download his presentation), and Holly Seglah, Social Protection Officer, Development Pathways (download her presentation) were the speakers.

Richard Obiga (Programme Officer, Social Protection Secretariat, Kenya) and David Tumwesigye (Global Advocacy Manager, Save the Children International) shared their comments and there was a rich discussion with the audience.

The webinar introduces the Inclusive Social Security Policy Forum (ISSPF), which aspires to provide a network and space for civil society organisations across the MENA region to find and contribute to practical resources to enhance their capacity to effectively engage in national debates on social security and social protection. ISSPF aims to de-mystify complex concepts in social protection and social security by improving understanding of the qualitative differences between different types of social protection programmes and their implications for achieving broader national economic and social development goals. ISSPF is an initiative funded by the Ford Foundation focused on building knowledge and capacity on inclusive social security in the MENA region.

The webinar featured keynote remarks by Dr. Shahra Razavi, Director, ILO Social Protection Department, as well as interventions by Dr. Stephen Kidd, Principal Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways, Dr. Rana Jawad, Associate Professor in Social Policy at Bath University, Shea McClanahan, Senior Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways, Samar Muhareb, CEO of the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development in Jordan, and Chafik Ben Rouine, Co-Founder and President of the Tunisian Observatory of Economy.

Highlights from our Inclusive Social Protection training course in Naivasha, Kenya.

Hear from our participants and learn what makes this course unique. For more information, head to our website inclusivesocialprotection.com.

The purpose of this webinar was to outline the results of a new global review of the evidence on which types of social protection programmes are most effective in reaching those living in poverty. The findings from Development Pathways – released on 14th March 2019 – were produced with support from the Church of Sweden and are the result of an analysis of the effectiveness of over 30 programmes in over 20 countries. Stephen Kidd outlined and discussed the evidence from the research.

Commentators Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona and Andrew Fischer provided expert commentaries to respond to the findings and their implications, while Gunilla Palm introduced the session and invited questions from attendees.

Read more about the webinar discussions and access the slide presentation: https://socialprotection.org/learn/webinars/new-evidence-effectiveness-targeting 

You can access the paper ‘Hit and Miss: An assessment of targeting effectiveness in social protection’ here: https://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/publications/hit-and-miss-an-assessment-of-targeting-effectiveness-in-social-protection-summary-version-with-updated-analysis/

Presenter: Stephen Kidd – Development Pathways

Discussants: Magdalena Sepúlveda – UNRISD and Andrew Fischer – Institute of Social Studies, ISS

Moderator: Gunilla Palm – Church of Sweden

The first Krystle Kabare Memorial Event revealed findings from the DFID research to which she contributed on the role social protection can play in enabling persons with disabilities to overcome barriers including the higher costs of living and inadequate incomes, and experience fulfilling lives with dignity.

Development Pathways will participate in the Australasian AID Conference, the region’s premier development event held annually at the Australian National University in Canberra. This year’s conference from 3–5 December will convene leading academics, policy advisors, and practitioners from Australia, New Zealand, the Asia Pacific region, and beyond.

As a key participant, Development Pathways will host a panel discussion focusing on social security in the Asia-Pacific region. Our session will critically examine social security challenges, with particular emphasis on the intersection of social protection and the climate crisis. We will explore the necessity of developing robust, effective social security responses to address emerging environmental and economic challenges facing the region.

The conference provides an essential platform for advancing critical conversations about international aid and development, offering insights into some of the world’s most pressing developmental challenges and opportunities.

Amman: The National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) and supported by Shamil – a project implemented by Development Pathways – hosted a discussion session in Amman on Sunday focusing on Jordan’s National Strategy for the Elderly 2025-2030.

Senior officials and experts gathered to discuss the strategy, highlighting the Kingdom’s commitment to enhancing social and financial protection for its ageing population.

News about the event:

Al Rai

Petra: Jordan News Agency

Jordan TV

The seventh workshop in the series, discussed some use cases of interoperability between Integrated Beneficiary Registry and SP-MIS systems, and demonstrated the Integration with SP-MIS. The demonstration highlighted the value of interoperability for delivering social protection programs. The workshop encouraged open discussion and feedback on various aspects including use cases, data fields and technical interfaces (API). It also encouraged inputs regarding availability of different vendors of open-source solutions, which can be used for interoperability of SP-MIS, Integrated Beneficiary Registry, thus enabling consensus building on standards.

Panellists: Valentina Barca – Independent Expert, Meme Shadrack – National Social Protection Secretariat, Kenya, Ercan Dansuk – Ministry of Family and Social Services, Türkiye, Ali Saip Demiröz – Ministry of Family and Social Services, Türkiye, Verónica Achá-Alvarez – Ministry of Social Development and Family, Chile, Richard Chirchir – Development Pathways

Moderator: Veronika Wodsak – ILO Closing remarks: Mohamed Almenfi – World Bank

Machine learning – or the ability of computers to analyse data, learn from trends and solve problems – has been employed around the world across a vast array of sectors and to varying levels of complexity for years. But are we harnessing the power of machine learning in social protection? In this webinar, experts discussed how aspects of this branch of artificial intelligence have already been applied in the sector, and the possibilities for the future application of machine learning in social protection.

Panellists: Richard Chirchir – Development Pathways, Peter Thirikwa – Hunger Safety Net Programme, Katelyn Cioffi – Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law, Boniface Kibicho – Development Pathways

Moderator: Laura Ulanowski – Development Pathways

There is broad consensus that expansion of social protection is a necessary response to the global food and economic crises. But an immediate reaction when universal social protection is proposed is often that “it is impossible, because it is too expensive!” or perhaps “we agree that universal social protection is the ultimate goal, but we must see it as a long-term vision. For now, we must target the poorest”. At this webinar we show how, in actual fact, universal programmes are a feasible and far more effective policy alternative to poverty targeting available to low- and middle-income countries. And, critically, that universality can be affordable if programmes are gradually introduced but maintain the principle of universality in their approach from day one.

Speakers:

Daisy Sibun, Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways, author of ‘Can a leopard change its spots? A critical analysis of the World Bank’s ‘progressive universalism’ approach to social protection

Marion Ouma, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Nordic Africa Institute

Stephen Kidd, Principal Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways

Moderator: Lena Simet, Senior Researcher and Advocate, Human Rights Watch

The seventh session of the Talking interoperability webinar series discussed the experience of the Zambian Ministry of Community Development and Social Services with the implementation of the Zambia Integrated Social Protection Information System (ZISPIS). The ZISPIS operationalises a unified National register of beneficiaries for key Social Protection Interventions and serves as a backbone of an integrated digital ecosystem for the management of Social Protection programmes in Zambia. The solution also enforces workflow controls, applies accountability mechanisms, and is integrated in real-time to banks/Payment-Service-Providers which significantly improves cost-effectiveness, efficiency, convenience of disbursing and receiving Social Support entitlements as well as standardising management of Social Cash Transfers and other social support interventions.

As expected, this implementation has been affected by several challenges relating to interoperability and data protection issues and we have had to make several interventions, compromises and delayed some integrations in order to get the process moving. The presentation highlighted how the implementation of the ZIPSIS has addressed interoperability challenges, leveraged opportunities, and the overall impact of an integrated approach to management of Social Protection Support Programmes.

Presenters: Dr David Phiri, Director ICT, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Craig Kilfoil, Senior Payment Systems Specialist, World Bank, Lubasi Musambo, Principal Officer in Charge of SCT MIS, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services

Discussants: Christabel E. Dadzie, Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank, Alejandro Grinspun, Senior Economist in the Social Protection Team, FAO

Moderator: Richard Chirchir, Principal Management Information System Specialist, Development Pathways

HelpAge International Asia Pacific Regional Office, with support from the Asian Development Bank, hosted a webinar titled: ‘“Building back better” in post-pandemic Asia: Back to the future for older people?’. 

As a result of the pandemic, the global economy has experienced its deepest recession since World War II, and inequality has increased. The pandemic has also triggered a broader reflection on how to build a better world for future generations. It is commonly said that the crisis presents an opportunity to “build back better”. This webinar aimed to present some concrete transformations that could help do just that for older people in a post-pandemic Asia.  

The panel, moderated by John Beard, Professor of ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), at the University of New South Wales, explored the potential “green shoots” of change that are already appearing, and the practical actions that institutions and governments could put in place to ensure that decision-makers harness the momentum of change catalysed by the pandemic.   

All participants agreed that older persons have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, particularly due to the isolation and loneliness that has occurred as a result. Mary Ann Tsao, Chairwoman and founding director of the Tsao Foundation, raised the issue that in Asia there is a real stigma in talking about mental health issues, with 55 per cent of older persons suffering from isolation in Singapore even before the pandemic. Tsoa suggested that COVID-19 is forcing us to recognise these issues and tackle them. Aiko Kikkawa Takenaka, an economist in ADB’s Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, further highlighted how important innovations in technology have helped us to communicate and support each other in new ways. Takenka and Tsoa both spoke of the digital divide that exists in preventing older persons from accessing these networks and suggested developing technologies that can empower them.  

Pungky Sumadi, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Population and Employment at the Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) and Sarah Harper, Clore Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford, highlighted the effectiveness of grassroots organisations in supporting older populations during the crisis. Harper further suggested a move towards rebuilding our communities in a non-ageist framework, and that there is a need for intergenerational integrated communities.  

Stephen Kidd, Principal Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways, proposed that making changes on a national level through providing adequate pensions and social security for all citizens would be a transformative practical action that could be taken to “build back better” for older people. Kidd stated that evidence shows that universal pension coverage would boost economic recovery and prove to be politically advantageous as they are often popular policies that win elections.  

COVID-19 has highlighted our strengths and weaknesses in supporting our communities. What was clear from the panel was that support systems for older people require more research to ascertain not only what they need, but what they want going forward. Only then will transformational change be achieved. 

Stephen Kidd evaluated the Ongoing Social Protection Policies and Programmes in the Context of SDG 1.3 and commented on the launch of the Social Protection Resource Centre’s Flagship Report at the Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) 2020.

We are at an unprecedented moment in history. The actions we take now amid this unfolding global crisis will shape the future of millions of people around the world for years to come. Never has the need for a human rights-based approach to social protection been more urgent as in times of COVID-19. This approach entails framing social protection debates and policy decisions around entitlements rather than charity or handouts.

In this webinar, our panellists discussed human rights considerations to the social protection response to COVID-19, and why a rights-based approach is more important than ever. In particular, our speakers have brought a contextual analysis to the debate drawing on examples from UN agencies in Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Asia.

Panellists:

Alexandra Barrantes, Senior Social Protection Specialist, Development Pathways

Abdul Alim, Social Policy Advisor, Unicef South Asia

Simone Cecchini, Senior Social Affairs Officer, ECLAC

Moderator:

Shea McClanahan, Senior Social Protection Specialist, Development Pathways

To what extent have existing social protection responses succeeded in tackling the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 crisis? To what extent have the shortcomings of the responses and the severity of the crisis been exacerbated due to structural issues that have hindered the development of strong and inclusive social contracts in South Asian countries? And, most importantly, to what extent can universal transfers enhance the shock-responsiveness of existing social protection systems while also strengthening social contracts in South Asia?

Speakers: Abdul Alim, UNICEF Regional Social Policy Advisor for South Asia, Fabio Veras, Research Coordinator, IPC-IG, Stephen Kidd, Senior Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways

Moderator: Louise Moreira Daniels, Chief of Social Policy at UNICEF Sri Lanka

This webinar discussed the following questions: – Which approaches for identification and registration work best to ensure that people in need of extended or new social protection programmes get smooth and timely access – carefully taking into account specific country circumstances? – How can governments quickly collect and process key information about potential beneficiaries of these programmes? – Which technology solutions are available and ready to be used to support identification and registration processes in times of social distancing? The webinar also put a spotlight on selected country cases to illustrate the challenges governments are currently facing in this regard, as well as to showcase practical solutions being implemented and applied.

Read more about the webinar discussion and access the slide presentation: https://socialprotection.org/learn/webinars/identification-and-registration-beneficiaries-sp-responses-wake-covid-19-challenges

Panellists: Valentina Barca – Independent

Consultant Richard Chirchir – Development Pathways

Moderator: Nikos Nikolidakis – GIZ

Our Senior Social Policy Specialist Stephen Kidd presents a call for action for inclusive child disability benefits to be introduced in low- and middle-income countries. At an event we co-hosted with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Leonard Cheshire, and HelpAge International in London on 6th November 2018.

Targeting social protection programmes to ensure that no one is left behind

Keynote speaker: Mr. Stephen Kidd (Development Pathways)

The conference “Tying the digital knots” assembled development practitioners, digital experts, policymakers, donors and researchers as well as leading voices in the field of social protection, data security and information systems technology on 14/09/2018. It provided a platform for the discussion of concepts, ideas, implementation strategies and country experience in establishing integrated systems as well as the potential for future alliances in the field of digital social protection.

This video shows the welcome session and the first session of the day ‘Integrated information management – what is it and what does it look like?’. The session deals with the question: How can digital technology enable integrated social protection data models ranging from social registries, management information systems (MIS) to civil/ tax registries to be linked into coherent information systems as part of a broader e-government eco-system? The session aims to familiarize the audience with the key concepts of integrated information management contributing to a more impactful implementation of social protection. Drawing on key lessons from countries that have invested in integrated information systems, the session explores how digital solutions can improve end to end social protection services and empower its beneficiaries.

In her first speech in her new role as the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for International Development, Penny Mordaunt said that millions of pounds are lost every year because persons with disabilities in developing countries do not have the support that they need to access employment. Considering this, Stephen Kidd (Senior Social Policy Specialist, Development Pathways), and Morgan Banks (Research Fellow, the International Centre for Evidence in Disability, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), discuss the evidence on the role of social protection in the economic empowerment of persons with disabilities.

Moderator: Alexandra Barrantes, Senior Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways​

Panellists: Stephen Kidd, Senior Social Policy Specialist, Development Pathways

Morgon Banks, Research Fellow, the International Centre for Evidence in Disability, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

A craze sweeping the social protection world for Social Registries is systematically depriving some of the world’s poorest not only of social protection but also of access to essential services, according to a new publication (https://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/publications/anti-social-registries-database-excludes-poor-social-protection/). 

So argues Stephen Kidd in ‘Anti-Social Registries: How have they become so popular?, in which he says that ranking the poorest to the richest to select beneficiaries of programmes from one database is based on impossible assumptions. Kidd is here asked more about what he brands as “Anti-Social Registries” for unfairly excluding up to a half of all those entitled to social protection programmes.

Graduation is an approach to social protection that provides assistance to households, allowing them to transition from poverty-alleviating support to being able to access a broader range of social services and economic opportunities. Is graduation a rights-based approach?

In this video, Director and Senior Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways, Stephen Kidd, provides a critical perspective on the graduation approach to social protection.

Turkey’s Integrated Social Assistance System (ISAS) Programme commenced in 2010, focusing on transferring all social assistance related workflows to an electronic platform, to establish a common database. It also aimed to institute efficient control and monitoring mechanisms to ensure a fair distribution of resources. It managed all social assistance processes such as application/registration, investigation, payments, monitoring, accounting, auditing and others. The Programme came to a close at the end of 2015 with a total budget of 35 million Turkish Lira (approximately 10 million USD). The System was developed module by module using an incremental and flexible method over the 5 year period. Currently, a continuation contract is being maintained for 2 years between the Ministry of Family and Social Policies and the Turkish Scientific Research Council (TÜBİTAK).

The webinar addressed the following discussions:

What is Turkey’s Integrated Social Assistance System (ISAS)?

Why the system was developed (objectives)?

Background and timeline: how has this work taken shape?

How does ISAS work (e.g. how is data collected, updated and used)? What benefits has it brought about? What type of integration? What were the challenges and limitations faced and how were these tackled?

Considerations for the Future

Practical demonstration of the system

Key lessons for other countries

Kenya’s “Single Registry for Social Protection” has recently been created as an electronic solution for social accountability. The integrated registry assists the social protection sector with planning, coordination and monitoring of the country’s four main cash transfer programmes, while also integrating data from the World Food Programme’s Cash for Asset Programme. The registry aims to consolidate and coordinate the country’s current range of fragmented schemes and will in the future expand its scope to include data on health insurance and social security.

The webinar was supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Oxford Policy Management and Development Pathways, and hosted by socialprotection.org. It discusses how the introduction of Kenya’s single registry came about, its evolution, its benefits, the challenges and limitations faced in implementation and future plans.

Presenters: Winnie Mwasiaji (Coordinator, Social Protection Secretariat, Kenya), Evelyn Gathecha (Single Registry Specialist, Social Protection Secretariat, Kenya), Richard Chirchir (Senior MIS Specialist, Development Pathways)

Moderator: Valentina Barca (Consultant, Oxford Policy Management)

Mongolia’s CMP was the focus of the third session of the Child Allowance Webinar Series on 27th October, following webinars on the South African Child Support Grant and the Uruguayan Family Allowances Programme. This latest webinar is organized with the support of the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG/PNUD), UNICEF and Development Pathways.

So how did Mongolia create the first Universal Child Grant in the developing world? The webinar tried to answer this question by presenting first-hand insights into the Mongolian experience of the CMP, and addressing the following questions:

• Why did Mongolia decide to adopt a universal approach?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of targeted vs. universal child allowance programmes?
• On which institutional framework is the programme built?
• The costs and financing of the programme
• The CMP’s impact on child poverty and deprivations in the fields of education, health, and nutrition
• Future plans for developing and improving the programme

The webinar was presented by Ms. Munkhzul Lakhagvasuren (Director of the Social Protection Department in Mongolia’s Ministry of Population Development and Social Protection). Mr Bjorn Gelders (Senior Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways) was the discussant and Ms. Judith Bruno (Deputy Representative at UNICEF Mongolia) served as the moderator.

Targeting vs. universalism

Speakers: Stephen Kidd, Development Pathways Armando Barrientos, University of Manchester

Chair: Annika Sundén

Interactive “fish bowl” debate amongst participants.