Social protection

Policies and procedures included in social protection involve five major kinds of activities: labour market policies and programs, social insurance programs, social assistance, micro and area-based schemes, and child protection. These are designed to reduce poverty and vulnerability. The document collection in this section aims to support those involved in social protection policy processes.

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
• Children in times of economic crisis: Past lessons, future policies 
  
  Reviews ­policy implications for assessing the impact of economic and other shocks on children.
  Overseas Development Institute, March 2009
• Dynamic benefits: Towards welfare that works 
  
  Reviews the UK benefits system and proposes a recasting of state support for the unemployed and low paid.
  Centre for Social Justice, November 2009
• Frontiers of social protection: Wahenga policy briefs 
  
  The first in a new series incorporating new evidence on the practicalities and impacts of delivering large scale social protection.
  Wahenga, November 2009
• No sign of a dependency culture in South Africa 
  
  Argues that both unemployed South Africans and social grant recipients have a positive attitude towards work and cannot be regarded as dependent.
  Human Sciences Research Council, March 2008
• Social protection opportunities for Africa  
  
  A policy brief from the International Food Policy Research Institute
  International Food Policy Research Institute, September 2008
• Social protection: A global imperative 
  
  Reviews the G20 plan to fund social protection for the poorest countries in the current financial crisis.
  Overseas Development Institute, May 2009
• Wahenga policy briefs 
  
  A series of ten policy briefs which provide an overview of the current debate on the role of social transfers in Southern Africa.
  
  2008

Research reports & papers

• Attitudes to work and social security in South Africa 
  
  Presents findings on the relationship between social grants and employment and that there is no evidence of a dependency culture.
  Human Sciences Research Council, 2008
• Changing social policy in South Africa: The child support grant in South Africa 
  
  Reviews one part of post-apartheid policymaking leading to the establishment of the child support grant.
  Human Sciences Research Council, 2007
• Community-based health insurance and social protection policy 
  
  Reviews the role of community health financing for protection against the impoverishing effects of illness.
  Social Protection Unit, World Bank, March 2007
• Dynamic social security for Africa: an agenda for development: development and trends 
  
  The first regional developments and trends report on Africa proposing an approach to understanding and addressing key challenges ISSA member organisations face in different regions.
  International Social Security Association, November 2008
• Is there a rationale for conditional cash transfers for children in South Africa? 
  
  Argues against conditionalities being attached to child support grants.
  School of Development Studies University of KwaZulu/Natal, August 2008
• Links between poverty, matriculation and the child support grant: a review of the evidence 
  
  Reviews evidence on whether child support grants positively influence schooling outcomes.
  Centre for the Study of South African Social Policy, October 2008
• Mainstreaming safety nets in the social protection policy agenda: a new vision or the same old perspective? 
  

  Proposes a research agenda in ten thematic areas, to address social protection.

  eJADE Electronic journal of agricultural and development economics, 2008
• Policy options to leverage the system of social grants for improved access to economic opportunity 
  
  Presents policy options for leveraging social g­rants to enhance economic participation.
  Human Sciences Research Council, February 2008
• Rapid appraisal of social inclusion policies in selected sub-Saharan African countries 
  
  Explores social exclusion in sub-Saharan Africa and factors that enable or hinder policy implementation 
  L Rispel, C da Sousa & B Molomo, HSRC Press, January 2009
• Review of the child support grant: uses, implementation and obstacles 
  Community Agency for Social Enquiry, June 2008
• Rights-based development and a social protection covenant 
  
  Argues for a rights-based approach when framing public policy (Chapter 1 from Shaping the future of social protection: access, financing and solidarity.
  European Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008
• 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
• Social protection index for committed poverty reduction 
  
  This ADB report presents a methodology for assessing and comparing social protection efforts of countries, providing indicators for use by policymakers 
  Asian Development Bank, June 2008
• The forgotten fundamentals 
  

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

  Caledon Institute, December 2008
• 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

Case studies

• South African case study on social exclusion 
  
  Explores factors that enable or constrain the implementation of policies and programmes that address social exclusion.
  Human Sciences Research Council, November 2008
• South African case study on social exclusion 
  
  Explores policy implementation and programmes addressing social exclusion.
  Human Sciences Research Council, December 2008
• The challenge of integrating social protection programmes 
  
  Newsletter with brief ­case studies from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Kenya and Ghana.
  International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth, November 2009
• 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

• Building consensus for social protection: insights from Ethiopia’s productive safety net programme 
  
  Explores the policy processes that led to the creation of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme, the largest social protection programme in Africa.
  Department for International Development, 2008
• Social protection policy and practice in Bolivia: its implications for Bolivia’s poverty reduction strategy paper  
  
  Documents policies and practices in Bolivia, utilising the World Bank’s social protection framework.
  Overseas Development Institute, 2001
• The social protection policy in Malawi: processes, politics and challenges 
  
  Looks at the dynamics of policy-making and processes in Malawi.
  Future Agricultures, September 2007
• What is the impact of social health protection on access to health care, health expenditure and impoverishment?: a comparative analysis of three African countries 
  
  Investigates health care systems in Kenya, Senegal and South Africa, followed by a short description of the methodology and data used in the research. The later sections focus on empirical results and policy implications.
  International Labour Organisation, 2006

Toolkits & guidelines

• Manual for gender mainstreaming social inclusion and social protection policies 
  
  Supports the implementation of gender equality in policies on social inclusion and social protection.
  European Commission, 2008

Conference & seminar papers

• Colloquium: Health within a comprehensive system of social security 
  
  Addressed challenges facing the South African health system, aiming to influence health policy developers on issues related to national health insurance.
  Human Sciences Research Council, August 2007
• Financing South Africa’s national health system through national health insurance: Possibilities and challenges – colloquium proceedings 
  
  Report on colloquium on ‘Health within a comprehensive system of social security’.
  Human Sciences Research Council, 2008
• First Annual conference on the economics of social protection 
  
  This conference addressed:­ Financing of social protection, social protection and economic growth, retirement reform, pensions and comprehensive healthcare, and, social protection and ­poverty.
  University of Pretoria, 2007
• International social security conference 
  
  Papers from a recent International social security conference can be downloaded from the Department of Social Development website.
  Department of Social Development, March 2008
• Seminar on social promotion and protection in African countries 
  
  ­­­Presentations from a seminar ­ coordinated by the Brazil-South Africa Cooperation Programme on Social Development.
  Brazil-South Africa Cooperation Programme on Social Development, August 2008
• Social protection for the poorest in Africa: learning from experience  
  
  ­Conference papers from from the Chronic Poverty Research Centre.
  
  September 2008

Reading lists

• Bibliography on social protection 
  World Bank, January 2008
• Cash transfers reading list 
  
  This World Bank cash transfers reading list includes URLs for selected websites. 
  World Bank, 2009

Advocacy initiatives

• African Civil Society Platform for Social Protection 
  
  A network of individuals and organisations operating at sub-national, national and regional levels, with a commitment to promoting and strengthening the social contract between states and citizens.
  September 2008
• 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