Alexandra Barrantes

Why are human rights considerations fundamental to inclusive and lifecycle social protection systems?

Senior Social Protection Specialist Alexandra Barrantes delves into the importance of a human rights-based approach to Social Protection, framing social protection debates and policy decisions around entitlements rather than charity or handouts.

Kenya Social Protection Sector Review 2017: Main Report

The Kenya Social Protection Sector Review Report, released by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, offers a strategic review of the evolution of Kenya’s social protection sector between 2011 and 2017 and includes many lessons for other countries as they seek to expand their social protection systems.

Design & implementation of basic social security programme operation manuals and guides in Mozambique

Since 2010, Mozambique’s growth in real GDP has averaged over 7.4%. However, this economic growth has had a marginal effect on poverty reduction. The Human Development Index (HDI) 2016 ranked...

Development Pathways is supporting GIZ to establish a consolidated social protection system under the MNSSP II

Building Malawi’s capacity to implement social protection at national and district levels

The Government of Malawi, with the support of development partners, is making advances in coordinating social protection schemes to establish a consolidated national social protection system. A national policy has...

Designing and implementing a social cash transfer for Angola

Designing and implementing Angola’s first cash transfer for children

In Angola young people and children represent a majority of the population. The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that nearly four in ten under-fives suffer from stunting, hindering their cognitive...

Webinar announcement: Why are human rights considerations fundamental to social protection responses to COVID-19?

Alexandra Barrantes (Development Pathways) along with panellists from UNICEF South Asia and ECLAC, will discuss human rights considerations to the social protection response to COVID-19, and why a rights-based approach is more important than ever.

COVID-19: are we all in the same boat?

Our blogger, Alexandra Barrantes, is a Senior Social Policy Specialist for Development Pathways. National debates around social protection and welfare provision have long been permeated by the discourse on deservingness, dividing the scene between high and middle-income earners (the yacht owners and cruise goers) who “contribute” to society through...

Spearheading Cash Transfer Design and Implementation Worldwide

Development Pathways’ experts have experience in both the high-level design of cash transfer programmes and the operational design and technical parameters for programme implementation. When designing social protection programmes —...

COVID-19: an opportunity to re-design social security systems for the XXIst Century? Webinar reflections

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) held a webinar on COVID-19: an opportunity to re-design social security systems for the XXIst Century? for the Latin American region. The conversation, facilitated by Carmen Pagés from the IDB, delved into the precarious state of the region’s social security systems, particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Training in social protection in Jinja, Uganda

Training to underpin the preparation of Uganda’s National Development Plans

There is a very strong rationale for Uganda to progressively increase its investment in social protection up to 2030 and beyond and that social protection should figure prominently in the...

Can you picture the right to social security?

By Alexandra Barrantes (Development Pathways), and Anna Bulman and Ria Singh Sawhney (Picture Human Rights) Development Pathways and Picture Human Rights have collaborated on a new mini-series on the human right to social security that seeks to demonstrate, through illustration, the importance of framing social protection debates and policy...

The golden rule, applied to social protection

Alexandra Barrantes One of my favourite books to read out loud to my children at bedtime is The Golden Rule. It lays out, in very simple terms, the ideal that we should all “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. But as this is not a...

Improving food, nutrition and income security in Karamoja

Karamoja, a northeastern region in Uganda, has been perceived as ‘lagging behind’ and has been treated by external parties, both the Government and development partners, as an exception to the...

Focus on inequality beyond income and averages: global launch of the 2019 Human Development Report

On December 9th Alexandra Barrantes attended the UNDP launch of the 2019 Human Development Report (HDR), titled Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century in Bogota, Colombia.

Universal Child Benefits and the need for disability- and equity-sensitive social protection

Alexandra Barrantes highlights her take-aways on disability and dignity from the recent Universal Child Benefits conference in Geneva. A couple of weeks ago, UNICEF and the ILO gathered together a large group of international experts, practitioners and government officials to discuss Universal Child Benefits (UCBs). The issue prompting the discussions was the compelling the case for UCBs and for universal social protection in general. Although countries around...

The presentation at the University of Oxford highlighted how a human rights-based approach impacted on social protection design and implementation

Build the case for shame-proof social protection, conference told

A conference on policy directions for Chile has heard the case for a social protection system that does not treat people in poverty as a distinct, less deserving group. Alexandra Barrantes, Senior Social...

Conditions and sanctions don’t work, and hinder the rights of the most vulnerable

A UK MP found “depressingly unsurprising” the finding that punishing people in their hour of greatest need is ineffective and ethically questionable. Indeed, the results of the five-year study on Welfare Conditionality, presented to Parliament last month, should surprise none of us. The evidence has been mounting for years that a punitive...

STOP PRESS at Davos time: Social protection a boost for the economy! (When it’s for the rich)

This year’s Davos there is a bigger spotlight than ever on inequality, but whilst the rhetoric is changing, I am struck by how entrenched assumptions and perceptions about poverty are, and this matters for social protection practitioners, writes Alexandra Barrantes. It is encouraging to see the growing amount of research...

Looking afresh at social protection programmes, with a human rights lens

Using a human rights lens to look at how cash transfer programmes are designed and implemented brings a number of considerations into view that would otherwise go unseen. A crucial one is that human rights principles should form an integral part of the key processes of cash transfer programmes and...

How has national ownership of Uganda’s Senior Citizens’ Grant developed?

A visit by Ugandan MPs to London has thrown light on the political economy of social protection, including the circumstances in which a donor-supported programme gains national ownership, writes Alexandra Barrantes. The delegation of Ugandan MPs representing the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Social Protection participated in a visit organised by HelpAge International and Age International to the...

Lost in translation in social protection: rights and development

Those of us working on social protection have, most likely, interacted with both the human rights and international development worlds and noticed their somewhat different approaches to social protection. While there is some overlap between the approaches, they often struggle to work collaboratively. We need to develop a shared language...

Importance of dignity to social protection implementation underlined in Guadalajara

4th September: Academia and international development experts have met in Mexico to discuss the social transformations required to eradicate poverty and significantly reduce inequality within and among countries. Participants discussing...

MPs in Uganda make case for universal social protection programme

When discussing the social protection governance in developing countries, we usually focus on the Executive Branch institutions and their role in policy development – as well as the design, implementation and monitoring of schemes – but pay little attention to the role of Parliaments. Nonetheless, as part of their key...

Alexandra Barrantes' Work

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