Week 3.2 - Social Development, Social Policy and Social Protection Flashcards
What is social policy?
Social policy consists of major transformative instruments, many of which are unavoidable for meaningful development and economic “catch-up”
What are residual approaches to social policy?
Residual approaches provide state assistance only when needs are unmet by other institutions (family, religion, market)
They are viewed as temporary safety nets, avoiding dependence
What are universal approaches to social policy?
Universal approaches make social security a normal function of the state, covering all citizens with adequate benefits as a claimable entitlement based on rights or contributions
What does Mkandawire argue about policy regimes?
Policy regimes are never purely universal or targeted but exist on a continuum
Where they fall on this continuum shapes life chances and social order
What is transformative social policy?
Transformative social policy aims to reshape the economy through legitimation, accumulation, industrial peace, redistribution, reproduction, and human capital development
Why can’t social policy models from advanced economies be directly applied to poorer agrarian economies?
Poorer economies lack the state capacity to enforce laws, tax populations effectively, and implement independent policies
What does Polanyi’s ‘Great Transformation’ describe?
It describes the expansion of markets and commodification of goods and services, leading to a double movement where societies resist through de-commodification and welfare regimes
How did newly independent states adopt social policies?
Many post-colonial states adopted welfare policies from their colonizers while promoting import-substituting industrialization
What are the key features of neo-liberal social policy?
Retrenchment of the state, public expenditure cuts, privatization, trade liberalization, low-tax regimes, and prioritization of inflation control and debt repayment
How did the East Asian financial crisis challenge familialism?
It exposed the limits of relying on family-based welfare systems, leading to demands for state-led social protection
How does the World Bank define social risk management?
Welfare is measured by income and consumption flows
Risks are adverse shocks threatening welfare, and private insurance is the preferred solution
The state intervenes only to improve market function and provide safety nets
Why does the World Bank prefer private over state-based risk management?
It believes state interventions should not “crowd out” private solutions, as markets should handle all risk arrangements except for incapacitated individuals
What is a key critique of neo-liberal social policy?
It leads to biased social provision, commodification of basic services, inefficiency in private provision, lack of accountability, and exclusion of vulnerable groups
What does universalism entail?
It redistributes wealth from the powerful to the less powerful and requires a shared vision of a “good society” through a sustainable social contract
What are normative arguments for universalism?
It is based on rights and duties between the state and citizens, securing livelihoods, and enabling participation in society
What are practical arguments for universalism?
Universal programs generate economic multipliers, while targeted programs have high administrative costs and often exclude eligible recipients
What is the relationship between taxation and state legitimacy?
Tax reliance builds a relationship between the state and citizens, justifying state expenditures and ensuring fiscal justice
What are potential revenue sources for social protection?
Domestic taxation (wealth tax), international taxation (Tobin tax), and improved efficiency in tax collection
What are key principles of the human rights framework?
Progressive realization, maximum resource use, avoidance of retrogression, meeting minimum economic and social rights, non-discrimination, participation, transparency, and accountability
What is the ‘global social floor’?
It ensures basic security for all citizens through pensions, child benefits, employment programs, and universal healthcare
How has social protection evolved in developing countries?
It has shifted from short-term safety nets to broader policies integrating poverty reduction, human capital investment, and economic development
How do different organizations conceptualize social protection?
World Bank: Social risk management, focusing on income stabilization
ILO: A human rights-based entitlement
UN: A basic needs approach covering income, employment, healthcare, and housing
What factors contributed to the rise of social protection?
Structural adjustment failures, financial crises, informal labor growth, globalization-driven poverty, and MDGs emphasizing poverty reduction
How did Latin America reform its social protection?
It transitioned from fragmented donor-driven safety nets to large-scale domestic programs like Bolsa Familia (Brazil) and Oportunidades (Mexico)
