Combating Poverty and Inequality: Structural Change, Social Policy and Politics
Organization(s): UNRISD
Author: UNRISD
Year: 2010
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Chapter 5 of Combating Poverty and Inequality: Structural Change, Social Policy and Politics, argues that universal social protection – that which covers the entire population with adequate benefits and is grounded in claimable entitlements, whether derived from rights or payments by institutions and individuals – can contribute to human security, reduce poverty and inequality, and build social solidarity. Universal social protection in developing countries can help protect living standards in general and provide basic levels of consumption to those living in, or at risk of falling into, poverty. Furthermore, it facilitates investment in human and other productive assets that provide escape routes from persistent and intergenerational poverty and that strengthen the agency of the poor. Universal social protection can contribute to human security, reduce poverty and inequality, and build social solidarity.
The chapter is organized as follows:
- Section 1 of this chapter makes the case for a universal approach to social protection. It also summarizes evidence on the positive impact of social protection in reducing inequality and poverty.
- Section 2 examines the changing patterns of social protection provision in developing countries since the mid-twentieth century, drawing on the experience of a number of countries grouped according to their development and growth paths. These examples illustrate how social protection policies have been forged and adjusted with different outcomes in contexts of rapid economic and social transformation.
- Section 3 presents policy lessons and recommendations.
Related Key Issues
Social protection programmes must be available to all individuals without discrimination of any kind. Universal social protection systems – those which provide benefits to all residents without conditions – are the best way for States to meet their human rights obligations to ensure that there is no discrimination in the selection of beneficiaries. Further reading: […]
Related Principles
States parties to major human rights instruments related to economic, social and cultural rights such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) have an immediate minimum core obligation to ensure the satisfaction of, at the very least, minimum essential levels of all economic, social and cultural rights such as the right […]
Meaningful and effective participation of rights holders must be a key component of any social protection system. This is what builds trust and public support behind schemes and ensures that there is a sense of ownership. The participation of right holders is important during the social protection policy making processes but also as regards the […]