Introduction to the Handbook on Social Protection Systems

Abstract

While social protection has become an important policy field in many low-and middle-income countries (LICs and MICs), 55 per cent of the world's population are still not even covered by one social protection benefit, with 87 per cent of people uncovered in Sub-Saharan Africa and 61 per cent in Asia and the Pacific (ILO 2017). Next to undercoverage, there are other factors that lower the efficiency, effectiveness and social justice of social protection in many countries, such as the lack of a joint vision and policy strategy, fragmented social protection programmes, duplication of administrative systems and efforts and irrational prioritisation in spending. These all call for a stronger systems approach to social protection. This handbook is therefore dedicated to social protection systems, highlighting the relevance but also the challenges that are related to a harmonised and coordinated approach across different social protection instruments, institutions, actors and delivery mechanisms. It takes the reader through all possible aspects of social protection systems.It understands social protection as the entirety of policies and programmes that protect people against poverty and risks to their livelihoods and well-being. This definition is based on the way in which universal social protection has been defined by a consortium of bi-and multilateral actors of development policy in 2019:Universal social protection is achieved through a nationally defined system of policies and programmes that provide equitable access to all people and protect them throughout their lives against poverty and risks to their livelihoods and well-being. This protection can be provided through a range of mechanisms, including in cash or in-kind benefits, contributory or non-contributory schemes, and programmes to enhance human capital, productive assets, and access to jobs.

The Fragility-Grievances-Conflict Triangle in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

“…(v) The governance of the social protection programmes themselves should be transparent, rule-based, and as participatory as possible. (vi) The different programmes in one country should be well co-ordinated and harmonised in order to ease the exchange of data, avoid duplication in efforts and gaps in coverage, and produce synergies and coherence (Loewe and Schüring 2021).…”

“…Most of these services, however, fulfil citizens' higher-order and not their most basic physiological needs at the base of Maslow's pyramid. Thus, the most fundamental government service has always been social protection, which is the "entirety of policies and programmes that protect people against poverty and risks to their livelihoods and well-being" (Loewe and Schüring 2021). Social protection thus includes measures that (i) protect people with low income against the most serious manifestations of poverty, (ii) prevent people from significant declines in well-being caused by risks, (iii) promote people with low incomes to escape from poverty, or (iv) transform societies towards better social equality, inclusion, social mobility, and sustainable livelihoods Guhan 1994;Loewe and Schüring 2021).…”

Disentangling the Relationship Between Social Protection and Social Cohesion: Introduction to the Special Issue

“…Most people would probably agree with the definition of social protection as: … the entirety of policies and programmes that protect people against poverty and risks to their livelihoods and well-being. (Loewe and Schüring 2021 , p. 1) This means that social protection includes all measures that help people in their efforts to (i) prevent risks (e.g. by healthy diet, cautious behaviour in street traffic, safety at work, vaccinations, social distancing during pandemics), (ii) mitigate risks (e.g.…”

“…… the entirety of policies and programmes that protect people against poverty and risks to their livelihoods and well-being. (Loewe and Schüring 2021 , p. 1)…”

“…At the very minimum, though, social protection includes (i) non-contributory transfers (direct and indirect, in cash or kind), (ii) social insurance (which is contributory and activated in case of contingencies only), (iii) micro-insurance , (iv) labour market policies (passive and active) and (v) social services (such as therapy, training, or rehabilitation) (Loewe and Schüring 2021 ).…”