TRANSFORMATIVE SOCIAL PROTECTION
Long-Term Social Protection for Inclusive Growth:
A Policy Dialogue and a South-South Learning Event
Johannesburg, 11 October 2010
Stephen Devereux
A definition …
Social protection describes all initiatives that:
1)
provide income (cash) or consumption (food)
transfers to the poor;
2)
protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks;
3)
enhance the social status and rights of the
excluded and marginalised.
Devereux & Sabates–Wheeler (2004)
A definition …
Social protection describes all initiatives that:
1)
provide income (cash) or consumption (food)
transfers to the poor;
2)
protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks;
3)
enhance the social status and rights of the
excluded and marginalised.
Devereux & Sabates–Wheeler (2004)
A definition …
Social protection describes all initiatives that:
1)
provide income (cash) or consumption (food)
transfers to the poor;
2)
protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks;
3)
enhance the social status and rights of the
excluded and marginalised.
Devereux & Sabates–Wheeler (2004)
A strategy …
This definition provides an agenda for a comprehensive
social protection strategy.
1) Social assistance for the poor:
Alleviating chronic poverty with social transfers.
2) Social insurance for the vulnerable:
“Insuring the uninsured” by extending social security.
3) Social justice for the marginalised:
Upgrading SP from “charity” to rights–based claims;
Realising ESC rights for social inclusion.
A framework …
“Transformative Social Protection”
Promotion
Transformation
Economic opportunities
Social justice
Prevention
Insurance mechanisms
Provision
Social assistance
Instruments …
Transformation
(1) Provision
Cash transfers:
Child support grant
Foster care grants
Social pensions
Unconditional cash transfers
Food transfers:
Supplementary feeding
Therapeutic feeding
Services:
Health fee waivers
Home-based care
Humanitarian:
OVC reception centres
IDP/ refugee camps
Promotion
Prevention
Provision
Instruments …
Transformation
Promotion
(2) Prevention
Government: Social security systems
Strategic grain reserves
Pan-seasonal food prices
Private:
Prevention
Provision
Weather–indexed insurance
Commercial property insurance
Remittances
Community: Rotating savings & credit groups
Burial/ funeral societies
Village grain banks
Community–based health
insurance schemes (CBHIS)
Instruments …
Transformation
(3) Promotion
Agriculture:
Agricultural input subsidies
Seed fairs
Inputs–for–work
Education:
Educational material fairs
School fee waivers
School feeding
Conditional cash transfers
Promotion
Prevention
Infrastructure: Public works programmes
Provision
Transformation
Instruments …
(4) Transformation
Legislation on economic, social & cultural rights
Promotion
Anti–corruption measures; citizen juries
Sensitisation / anti–discrimination campaigns
Prevention
Minimum wage legislation
Workers’ rights (e.g. maternity leave)
Child rights; eradication of child labour.
Provision
Conclusion: Transformative Social Protection
for Inclusive Growth
PROVISION: Provide access to financial services (savings, credit)
for the poor through social transfer delivery mechanisms.
PREVENTION: Encourage moderate risk–taking, by devising
innovative insurance instruments for the poor.
PROMOTION: Pro–poor access to education and health services
= long–term investment in human capital formation
TRANSFORMATION: Reverse social exclusion and economic
marginalisation – e.g. no discrimination against HIV+ people.
www.ids.ac.uk/go/centreforsocialprotection
International conference
Institute of Development Studies, UK
13 – 15 April 2011
“Social Protection for Social Justice”