Information and management systems

Maize Mexico

Management and information systems (MISs) are of critical importance in the administration of any social protection programme, including for the identification and registration of potential beneficiaries, the determination of their eligibility and entitlements, contribution collection, the delivery of benefits, and the processing of complaints and appeals. The enormous amount of information involved in the administration of social protection programmes is being facilitated by more efficient information and management systems. Many countries have started to implement single registries as a central repository of data across several social protection programmes. The emergence of elaborate MISs raises several questions from a human rights perspective, including the effective protection of personal data and privacy.

Photo credit: “Maize seed quality control at small seed company Bidasem” by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CCBY 2.0 via Flickr).

 

Resources

Good Practice in the Development of Management Information Systems for Social Protection

In recent years, social protection has moved rapidly up the policy agenda in developing countries. Debates on the design of social protection schemes, however, are often dominated by ideological discussions, such as whether to introduce conditions. Less attention is given to implementation challenges and the demands placed on countries’ administrative systems. Management information systems (MISs) […]

Single 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 and issues to consider when establishing an […]

Good 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 social protection MISs, and the challenges […]

Information 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 to this page

Social 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 coverage, the role of administration and […]

Social Protection and Human Rights