Shifting the paradigm: building an inclusive, lifecycle social security system in Tunisia

Many people in Tunisia continue to lack access to basic social security. A high degree of informality leaves millions without income security and heightens vulnerability to life shocks – such as growing old – as well as changing economic climates and global crises.

This paper presents social security options which would represent a leap forward toward universality in Tunisia. The options would set the country on a better track not only to reduce poverty, but to reduce its dependence on international financial institutions, attenuate institutional fragmentation in social security, achieve its broader social and economic goals and – crucially – strengthen the social contract.

This study was prepared with funding from the Ford Foundation as part of the Inclusive Social Security Policy Forum Working Paper Series and is one of three national in-depth studies of social security systems in the MENA region. It was developed in partnership with the Tunisian Observatory of Economy.