There has been a rapid advancement of social protection this century. From the early successes and popularity of conditional cash transfers and social grants at supporting social goals, such as poverty reduction and expanded access to universal education, to the recent provision of emergency economic supports to insure households against the economic fall-out of the COVID-19 Pandemic, social protection has emerged as a critical policy tool for pursuing national development goals and countering economic shocks.

The International Labour Organization reports in 2024 that, for the first time, more than half of the world’s population is covered by social protection. Still, 3.8 billion people lack coverage of any kind and are entirely unprotected. A recent UNU-WIDER analysis of official development assistance confirms that aid targeting social protection is only about 2% of total global aid budgets.

This project compares social protection policy across nine countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and draws lessons to inform policymakers, international organizations, and academics working in these regions. Here, social protection is defined as the set of laws, institutions, policies, and programmes whose principal objectives are to (i) protect households against the risks of illness, disability, death of the breadwinner, accidents at work, longevity, or loss of employment, and (ii) lower income inequality and reduce/eliminate poverty. The project culminates in an edited volume collecting the country case studies.

Key questions

• To what extent do social protection policies in a specific country minimise risk for households, lower inequality, and reduce poverty?
• Which objectives are prioritized and why?
• What can we learn from the differences in social policy instruments deployed in different countries, and how may they impact on social and economic outcomes?
• To what extent are these differences explained by the differences in institutions (laws and regulations), level of economic development, fiscal space, and the enforcement capabilities of governments?

Watch this space

All the activities, publications, events, opportunities to engage, and other outputs of this project will be here!