The Political Economy of “Targeting” of Social Security Schemes
This paper examines the evidence on the political economy of “targeting.” It will begin by examining the history of social security in developed countries, focusing in particular on the evolution of Poor Relief in 19th Century Europe. It will then examine contemporary tax-financed old age pensions and Poor Relief...
Read MoreThe Impact of Social Cash Transfer Programmes on Community Dynamics in sub-Saharan Africa
This brief describes key findings of a four-year research project, From Protection to Production (PtoP), which is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with UNICEF. Oxford Policy Management partnered with FAO to design and implement the qualitative field research component. The PtoP project analyzed the...
Read MoreProvision of Basic Healthcare Services by Non-State Actors in Arab Countries: Benefits and Risks
Basic social services such as education, water and sanitation, healthcare and housing are intended to meet essential human needs. States are given the task of guaranteeing equal access to these services, either through direct provision or through the regulation of services provided by other institutions, such as businesses or...
Read MoreHow Many Stops in a One-Stop Shop? A Review of Recent Developments in Business Registration
Many governments have introduced one-stop shops as part of their reform of the business registration process. But what is a one-stop shop? Is it like any other shop? Can it really involve just one stop? The International Finance Corporation has commissioned this study to provide some background and possibly...
Read MoreGood practices on Single Window Services: Research on existing Single Window Services around the world (India, Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan) and key lessons to be learned for Cambodia
The aim of this research is to identify good and bad practices of Single Window Services around the world, by looking at the experiences of countries where these services are already in place. Link to Word...
Read MoreSingle Window Services in Social Protection: rationale and design features in developing country contexts
This discussion paper – based on a review of literature on SWS in both social protection and other sectors – will discuss the different design features particularly focusing on developing country and emerging economy contexts. In the first chapter, the evolution of SWS in general as well as in...
Read MoreThe privatization of the pension system in Chile
In 1980 Chile reformed its pension system leading to the privatization of the pensions. This reform gave rise to several representation procedures before the Governing Body under article 24 of the ILO Constitution between 1986 and 2001. The Governing Body concluded that Chile’s pension reform did not comply with...
Read MoreCash at Your Fingertips: Biometric Technology for Transfers in Resource-Rich Countries
Cash transfers are often a good way for developing countries to address economic and social problems. They are less expensive than directly providing goods and services and allow recipients the flexibility to spend on what they need the most, but for many developing countries, the technical requirements for large-scale...
Read MoreIdentification for Development: The Biometrics Revolution
This paper surveys 160 cases where biometric identification has been used for economic, political, and social purposes in developing countries. About half of these cases have been supported by donors. Recognizing the need for more rigorous assessments and more open data on performance, the paper draws some conclusions about...
Read MoreSingle registries and integrated MISs: De-mystifying data and information management concepts
In recent years, there has been greater focus on coordinating and harmonising systems for social protection, which has led to growing interest in and pressure on exploring ways to integrate data and better handle information management across social protection programs. This paper aims to resolve some confusion by discussing the advantages...
Read MoreGood practice in the development of management information systems for social protection
The focus of this paper is to examine good practice in the design and implementation of management information systems (MISs) for social protection. Section 2 describes MISs, pointing out that they are more than systems of computer hardware and application software. Section 3 discusses the type of information required by...
Read MoreElectronic payment for cash transfer programmes: Cutting costs and corruption or an idea ahead of its time?
There is growing interest in the use of electronic payment (e-payment) systems in cash transfer programmes. When cash is transferred to beneficiaries through e-payment technologies such as mobile phone accounts or smartcards, there is potential to cut costs and reduce corruption compared with physical payment methods. E-payment systems can...
Read MoreISSA Guidelines on Information and Communication Technology
The ISSA Guidelines on Information and Communication Technology address the issues related to the management and implementation of ICT systems and provide guidance to support social security institutions in carrying out ICT-related activities. Its main goals are to promote the effectiveness and reliability of social security services, as well...
Read MoreInformation and Communication Technology: Facilitating innovative social security
The objective of this issue is to highlight four sustainable and positive contributions that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is making to social security; to summarize the challenges of putting in place and managing effective ICT and to identify key elements to the successful implementation of ICT solutions. Link...
Read MoreISSA Guidelines Contribution Collection and Compliance
These guidelines are intended to cover all the key components of a contribution collection and compliance system. Some are necessarily general, such as those covering the mission, strategy, communication, etc., and could be applied to other social security contexts, but others are quite specific to contribution collection and compliance....
Read MoreSocial security contribution collection and compliance: Improving governance to extend social protection
Using survey evidence collected from social security organizations and contribution collection agencies, a major aim of this article is to advance knowledge sharing and good practice on contribution collection and the enforcement of compliance. Although contribution collection and compliance have important social protection, political and fiscal dimensions, this article...
Read MoreReversing pension privatization. The experience of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Hungary
This paper systematically compares and evaluates the reforms of private pensions systems in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Hungary due to initial failures in design and performance after its implementation. The document presents advantages and flaws of the structural reforms and private pension systems before the re-reform and analyses legal...
Read MoreSocial security coverage extension in the BRICS: A comparative study on the extension of coverage in Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa
This comparative study of the International Social Security Association ISSA presents the diverse approaches of the BRICS for the extension of social security coverage. It shows how responses take into account the local realities and environment in each country, with a focus on innovations that measurabley extend and improve...
Read MoreSocial Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102)
A reference for the development of social security systems, Convention No. 102 is the flagship of the up-to-date social security Conventions since it is deemed to embody the internationally accepted definition of the very principle of social security. Convention No. 102 is unique for both its conceptual formulation of social security,...
Read MoreSocial Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202)
Recommendation No. 202 is the first international instrument to offer guidance to countries to close social security gaps and progressively achieve universal protection through the establishment and maintenance of comprehensive social security systems. To this aim, the Recommendation calls for (1) the implementation, as a priority, of social protection...
Read MoreReport on Cash transfer programmes (CTPs) from a human rights perspective (A/HRC/11/9), submitted by the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty
This report focuses on cash transfer programmes (CTPs) from a human rights perspective. CTPs are non-contributory programmes providing payments in the form of cash to individuals or households. The primary objective of CTPs is to increase the real income of beneficiaries in order to enable a minimum level of consumption within...
Read MoreAchieving Development at the Cost of The Right to Privacy? The Promise and Peril of New Technologies in Social Protection Programmes.
Information and communication technologies and social protection In recent years, donors, development agencies and poverty reduction initiatives have increasingly turned towards social protection as an effective tool for addressing extreme poverty and accelerating development in the world’s poorest countries. The term refers to the provision of benefits in...
Read MoreAdministration and delivery of benefits and services
The efficient governance and administration of social protection schemes is one of the preconditions for the effective realization of human rights. In order to realize their rights, people need to be well informed about the availability of social protection benefits and of qualifying conditions, under which they can access...
Read MorePrivatization of delivery mechanisms
Although the overall responsibility for the provision of social protection is with the State, the delivery of social protection benefits involves not only public authorities, but in many contexts, also private actors. In fact, with increasing pressure on public budgets, the privatization of delivery mechanisms appears as an...
Read MoreOne stop shops/single window services
Single window services are increasingly being used as a way to improve access to social protection, particularly in rural and remote areas. Such services allow providing for access to several social protection programmes, as well as other services (social services, health services, employment services, services for entrepreneurs and small...
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