Social & economic policy

Social policy refers to the practice of social intervention, aimed at securing social change, to promote the welfare and wellbeing of citizens. It refers to both the practice of and academic study of policy action. This document collection is aimed at supporting the social policy formulation process, in South Africa and other developing countries.

Policy briefs

• A global policy package to address the global crisis 
  
  A policy brief which identifies a social agenda as crucial in addressing the global financial crisis.
  International Labour Organisation, November 2008
• Africa - preserving progress at a time of economic crisis 
  
  Recommendations to African countries on how to manage the economic crisis with international support.
  Africa Progress Panel, April 2009
• Enabling efficient policy implementation 
  
  Reports the findings of an online survey of 211 public sector officials and private ­sector executives in July and August 2009.
  Economist Intelligence Unit, January 2010
• European social policy: What’s wrong with EU2020? 
  
  Refers to a paradigm shift that demands an in-­depth analysis of the limits of the current development model.
  European Trade Union Institute, April 2010
• How should MDG implementation be measured: Faster progress or meeting targets? 
  
  One page brief arguing that the rate of progress in achieving the MDGs is a more important measure than whether targets are to be met.
  International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth, May 2010
• How to reform the international financial system?: A Chinese perspective 
  
  Recommends priorities for a reform of the international financial system.
  Friedrich Ebert Stiftung , September 2009
• Influencing policy for children in Tanzania: lessons from education, legislation and social protection 
  
  Summarises three case studies on policy development and examines the political drivers of change that influence policy on child well-being.
  REPOA: Research on Poverty Alleviation, April 2009
• Making use of transformative 'home-grown' social policy in Africa 
  
  ­Focuses on the transformative dimension of social policy and its link with economic develelopment.
  AfricaViewPoint (UNDP), February 2009
• Millennium Development Goals report card: Learning from progress 
  
  A summary which is part of initial findings from an ongoing review of progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals.
  Overseas Development Institute (ODI), June 2010
• The global financial crisis: Implications for Africa 
  
  Brief from a senior policy seminar which considered policy responses to the global economic recession, with an emphasis on African research utilisation.
  African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), March 2010

Research reports & papers

• Accelerating a job-rich recovery in G20 countries: Building on experience 
  
  Recommends a combination of well-coordinated macro-economic policies together with employment, labour market, skills and social protection ­policies.
  International Labour Organisation, April 2010
• Adaptation amidst prosperity and adversity: Insights from happiness studies from around the world 
  
  With examples from the economics, democracy, crime, corruption, and health arenas, concluding with policy implications.
  Brookings Institution, July 2010
• Beyond the national question: Towards the social question 
  
  A Harold Wolpe Memorial Trust annual lecture.
  Mkandawire, T., October 2007
• Community roles in policy 
  
  Reviews unique community contributions that are successful in addressing complex policy issues.
  
  Caledon Institute, January 2009
• Economic and social survey of Asia and the Pacific 2009: Addressing triple threats to development 
  
  Argues for a more fair and inclusive macroeconomic environment and economic policy reforms.
  UNESCAP, March 2009
• Economic growth and poverty dynamics 
  
  ­Briefly reviews the literature on economic growth and poverty and examines whether economic growth influences poverty dynamics.
  Chronic Poverty Research Centre, February 2009
• Employment and social protection policies from crisis to recovery and beyond: A review of experience 
  
  Aims­ to determine which employment and social protection policies yielded good results and in which context. Reviews 13 policies identified in the Global Jobs Pact of June 2009.
  International Labour Organisation, April 2010
• From agenda to action: Turning resources into results for people 
  
  Reviews developments over the past five years, identifying six priority areas, three for African policymakers and three for their international partners.
  Africa Progress Panel, May 2010
• Innovation policies as social policies: on strategies for the pursuit of proactive equality in underdevelopment 
  
  Explores the theory that inequality can be reduced by connecting innovation policies with social needs.
  Universidad de la Republica, 2005
• Maximizing the social, policy and economic impacts of research in the humanities and social sciences 
  
  This report was commissioned to inform the report, Punching our weight from the British Academy.
  Public Policy Group, London School of Economics, September 2008
• Paradigm shift: Social justice as a prerequisite for sustainable development 
  
  Calls for a new paradigm for sustainable development, focusing on­ social cohesion.
  European Trade Union Institute, April 2009
• Policy-making as discourse: a review of recent knowledge-to-policy literature 
  
  This working paper explores the current understanding of the link between knowledge and policy in development.
  Overseas Development Institute, August 2009
• Pro-poor development: Distribution, growth and policy interactions 
  
  Explores the main lines of interaction between growth and distribution to determine the potential for pro-poor growth.
  Rao, J.H., February 2002
• Punching our weight: the humanities and social sciences in public policy making 
  
  Addresses what policy makers need, what the humanities and social sciences offer and the challenges of providing better evidence for public policy making.
  British Academy, September 2008
• Review of the child support grant: uses, implementation and obstacles 
  Community Agency for Social Enquiry, June 2008
• Sectors and skills: The need for policy alignment 
  
  Presents the results of a large-scale study of ­skill demands of five economic clusters in South Africa, to inform the conceptualisation and formulation of skills development strategies.
  Human Sciences Research Council, 2009
• Social protection concepts and approaches: implications for policy and practice in international development 
  
  Reviews conceptual developments regarding the meaning and importance of social protection.
  Overseas Development Institute, February 2001
• South Africa's public policy clubs of exclusion  
  
  Commentary from the South African Civil Society Information Service (Sacsis) that the Zuma administration is attempting to insulate public policy choices from contestation in society, and as a consequence failing to build broader­ policy consensus.­
  Hassen, E-K., July 2010
• South African child gauge 2008/2009  
  
  Annual review of the status of South Africa’s children focusing on access to education.
  Children's Institute, University of Cape Town, June 2009
• Start-up subsidies for the unemployed: Long-term evidence and effect heterogeneity  
  
  Uses administrative and survey data from a large sample of participants in two distinct start-up programmes and a control group of unemployed individuals.
  IZA, February 2010
• Stupid public policies and other political myths 
  
  Looks at ten policy myths and 'bad ideas'­.
  Schultz, D., December 2008
• The effects of education and health on wages and productivity 
  
  A staff working paper using a human capital earnings function and data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to estimate the effects of education and health status on wages.
  Productivity Commission, March 2010
• The forgotten fundamentals 
  

  Argues that strong social programmes can play a vital part in an economic stimulus package.

  Caledon Institute, December 2008
• The G-20 London summit 2009: Recommendations for global policy coordination 
  
  Explores a range of proposals for policy coordination to address the global financial crisis.
  Brookings Institution, March 2009
• The impact of the financial crisis on conflict and state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa 
  
  An issues paper which summarises the major points and offers ­policy recommendations.
  Governance and Social Development Resource Centre , July 2009
• The implications of the global financial crisis for low-income countries  
  
  Makes policy recommendations to reduce the impact of the economic recession on low-income countries.
  International Monetary Fund, March 2009
• The Nairobi Report: Frameworks for Africa-UK research collaboration in the social sciences and humanities 
  
  ­­­­Recommendations on how to strengthen the research base in African universities.
  British Academy, March 2009
• Wage subsidies to combat unemployment and poverty: Assessing South Africa’s options 
  
  Investigates whether the introduction of wage subsidies is an appropriate policy measure for dealing with South Africa’s particular sources of unemployment.
  International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) , May 2010
• World social science report 2010 
  
  Review of the state of the social sciences and how knowledge is produced, disseminated and used; includes a chapter on ­­Social sciences and po­licy-makers.­­­
  UNESCO, June 2010

Case studies

• Developing social policy for children in the context of HIV/AIDS: A South African case study 
  
  Describes and analyses the process of policy design, development and implementation.
  Children's Institute, University of Cape Town, December 2008
• Towards a basic income grant for all 
  

  Reviews findings of research on the benefits of basic income grants, conducted by BIGC in Namibia.

  Basic Income Grant Coalition, Namibia, September 2008

Country studies

• Policymaking in Latin America - how politics shapes policies 
  
  Suggests that poor policy outcomes lies less in the policies than in the political interactions and processes behind these policies. ­
  Inter-American Development Bank, 2008

Toolkits & guidelines

• Research as a tool for advocacy 
  
  A presentation outlining approaches to achieving research-based­ policies.
  Institute for Security Studies (ISS), 2010
• The China-Africa toolkit: A toolkit for African policymakers 
  
  Aims to provide critical information, basic data and interpretations that can enhance decision making on issues involving China and Africa.
  South African Institute of International Affairs, December 2009

Conference & seminar papers

• 3rd Joint meeting AU Conference of Minsiters of Economy and Finance and Economic Development. joint ECA/Africa Union (AU) 
  
  Presentations and reference documents from this conference held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 25-30 March 2010.
  African Union, March 2010
• Challenging boundaries: Social Policy Association conference 
  
  Presentations from the 2008 Social Policy Association conference.
  Social Policy Association, June 2008
• Child Rights: Children's rights at a crossroads 
  
  A conference aiming to contribute to collaboration for the improved use of research and greater youth involvement in participatory re­search.
  African Child Policy Forum, November 2009
• Innovative South Africa: conference 
  
  Showcased innovation developments in South Africa and provided a platform for developing an innovation policy dialogue with European partners.
  Department of Science and Technology, June 2006
• New partnerships for growth research in Africa 
  
  Launch workshop report from the Africa Growth Initiative, which works towards sustainable economic development in Africa.
  Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, June 2010
• Responses to the global crisis: charting a progressive path: handbook of ideas 
  
  ­Interactive conference handbook ­aimed at gathering policy proposals on the global crisis.
  Progressive governance conference, March 2009
• Strengthening evidence-based policy in the Australian Federation 
  
  Proceedings of a roundtable discussion held from 17-18 August 2009.
  Productivity Commission, March 2010
• The African debate on social justice 
  
  Examines the concept of social justice in Africa and the possible role to be played by the youth, especially in the age of globalis­ation.­
  Centre for Policy Dialogue, Zambia, 2008
• UNRISD conference on social and political dimensions of the global crisis: Implications for developing countries 
  
  Papers on social and political dimensions of the current crisis,­ policy and institutional reforms, and implications for developing countries.
  United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, November 2009

Advocacy initiatives

• Front line economic, social and cultural rights online manual 
  
  Advocacy toolkit with case studies and extensive references.
  Social and Economic Rights Action Center, July 2009
• Ghana Research & Advocacy Programme 
  
  A pooled funding mechanism for supporting the institutional development of civil society organisations undertaking research and advocacy ­for pro-poor policy development in Ghana.
  2010
• Meaningful engagement workshop 
  
  Report from a workshop which aimed to gain more clarity on the concept of meaningful engagement to feed into civil society strategies and actions.
  Centre for Applied Legal Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, July 2009
• Policy responses and submissions 
  
  Read NESTA's policy responses and submissions over the ­past few years.
  National Endowment for Science Technology and Arts, 2009
• September National Imbizo 
  
  A new Facebook forum for a national citizens' dialogue, currently working against xenophobia and planning for ­a National Indaba in September 2010.
  July 2010
• Social Service Practitioners Advocacy Network 
  
  Join this network to engage with the draft Social Service Professions Bill and advocate for improvements.
  Children's Institute, December 2008
• Strategies for effective policy advocacy: Demanding good governance in Africa 
  
  ­Lessons learned by civil society coalitions when demanding improved­ governance in Africa.
  South African Institute for International Affairs, June 2009