The latest episode of the Pathways’ Perspective: The Podcast is out this week, with a discussion on universal social security and the social contract. The conversation provides an in-depth analysis on the themes of our recent publication, “The social contract and the role of universal social security in building trust in government” written in partnership with Act Church of Sweden.
Featured in this episode are Dr. Stephen Kidd, Principal Social Policy Specialist at Development Pathways and Dr. Andrew Fischer, Associate Professor of Social Policy and Development Studies at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague. They explore the social contract, a key aspect for building trust between governments and their citizens. The key to this trust is the provision of universal public services, since they can be enjoyed by everyone on an equal and impartial basis.
Their discussion touches on post-World War II Europe and the development of universal social security, how poverty targeting programmes undermine social contracts and whether COVID-19 can serve as the catalyst for a paradigm shift in social and economic policy in the Global South.
You can find the newest instalment of the podcast on Soundcloud, Apple Podcast and Spotify, where you can also listen our previous episodes on Black professionals in international development, universal child benefits and dignity and stigma in social protection. Each episode is an expert on expert discussion – a conversation between practitioners about the nuances of social protection from both theoretical perspectives to more practical and personal experiences.
Listen to the podcast here
Read the paper here
Read more like this:
Publication: Hit and Miss: An assessment of targeting effectiveness in social protection – Summary version with updated analysis
Blog: The social contract and the role of universal social security in building trust in government
Podcast: New Podcast: “Investing in Child benefits in a COVID-19 World”
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