Responses by Global South: Situation analyses and
challenges in low and medium income countries
This page provides situation analyses and innovations from low
and medium income countries through summaries and links.
Brazil
Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome website
(in Portugese) http://www.mds.gov.br/
The International Poverty Centre (IPC) is a joint
project between the United Nations Development Programme and the
Brazilian Government to promote South-South Cooperation on applied
poverty research. It specializes in analyzing poverty and
inequality and offering research-based policy recommendations on
how to reduce them. IPC is directly linked to the Poverty Group of
the Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP and the
Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea),
which does research for the Brazilian Government.
India
In 2005, the Indian government passed bill called National Rural
Employment Guarantee. This act created legal entitlements to adult
citizens in rural areas to seek work for up to 100 days per
household per a year. Emplyoment should be provided within 15 days
of demand by the local governments. In case they would not meet
this demand, the poor are entitled to receive unemployment
allowance from the government. This novel intervention treat work
as a right and the programme is demand driven. There is a strong
element of local participation and control.
All wage costs and 75% of non-wage costs to be borne by the
Central Government. Total cost of the program is minimum of 1% of
GDP (2004-05) and maximum of 2.5% of GDP.
The article
"Employment and Social Security for the Working
Poor: Two Major Initiatives in India (PDF)" by K.P. Kannan
from the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised
Sector discusses the bill thoroughly. Furthermore, the article
covers the debate on other important initiative, the Unorganised
Sector Workers Social Security Bill, 2005. See also
K.P. Kannan's powerpoint slides of these two
initiatives.
Namibia
The Developmental Social Welfare Policy of Namibia
Namibia reoriented its Social Welfare Policy and restructured
the Directorate of Social Services, trained the staff and
computerized the offices in 1995-1998. The World Summit for Social
Development principles were taken as the point of departure. For
instance, "A Society for All" was set as the vision. An enabling
and empowering approach to social work and services was
strengthened and supported by structure reforms. The Copenhagen
approach was developed into a new - developmental - mission for the
Directorate. It was then translated into long- and medium term
objectives, and elaborated into yearly work plans. The process was
supported by the Government of Finland through the Health and
Social Sector Support Programme. The paper describes the process in
more detail and evaluates the results and sustainability of this
comprehensive social policy reform.
Social sector reform in Namibia by Ronald
Wiman, STAKES (powerpoint presentation at the Kellokoski
event)
See also Petronella H. Coetzee and Ronald Wiman:
"Building Up Social Sustainability: The Case of
Namibia (PDF)" (updated version forthcoming) in Wiman and
Partonen (eds.):
"Putting
People at the Center of Sustainable Development vol.2".
South Africa
Abstract (Wiseman): Social and employment policies in
SouthAfrica - situation analysis and challenges: a government
perspective
The presentation will highlight key developments and challenges
in the South African economy, the challenge of unemployment and
government social policy initiatives. Emphasis will be on
unemployment trends, the growth of the informal economic sector and
increasing casualization of work in some sectors with the problem
of diminishing employment-related benefits for significant
numbersof the employed. The following macro-economic and social
policies will be covered:
- Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP),
- Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR)
- Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa
(ASGISA).
Policies aimed at addressing worklessness and quality jobs
suchas wage determinations in some sectors, promotion of Small,
Microand Medium Enterprises and Sector Education Training
Authorities with learnerships primarily aimed at addressing the
'school to work transition'. A range of social policies from
government departments aimed at addressing multi-dimensional
aspects of poverty and thedrive towards comprehensive social
security will be alluded to.Current challenges for social and
employment policies particularly the need to bring together social
and economic policies will be mentioned.
Abstract (de Villiers): Using law to develop socialpolicy
Law and the litigation process can be used to stimulate policy
development. Three cases dealing with the right to social
assistance in South Africa are discussed, which show how litigation
can be used to unblock, implement and drive policy.
In a similar manner, the universal rights to life and dignity
can be used to facilitate the development of social policy aimed at
implementing and developing policies to alleviate hunger and
extreme poverty. With appropriate contextual, social and legal
research, these and other standards can be identified and applied
in particular jurisdictions and factual settings to facilitate the
implementation of existing policies and programmes, and to create
the circumstances to develop and improve them.
See also
Magasela-Naicker-Mguye:
Social and employment policies in SA -
situational analysis and challenges: a government
perspective (powerpoint at the Kellokoski event)
The
Department of Social Development of South Africa states in the
website that its choice of name is appropriate
- because of its commitment to social transformation;
- because its task is to reduce poverty and promote social
integration;
- because its work is based on partnerships and the Batho Pele
principles of service delivery;
- because its actions are based upon solidarity and engender
self-reliance; and
- because of the range of its human services.
For a detailed account on the activities and structure of the
South African social development programmes, see
http://www.info.gov.za/aboutsa/socialdev.htm.
http://www.labour.gov.za/labour_ministry/profile_display.jsp?profile_id=8832
http://campus.ru.ac.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=3778
Tanzania
News Item
REPOA has published a report that analyzes the implications of
addressing / not addressing social protection in a developing
country:
Developing Social Protection in Tanzania within
a Context of Generalised Insecurity (by Marc Wuyts)
(pdf)
Social Policies for Development - The Research Perspective,
Research on Poverty Alleviation, Tanzania.
Draft abstract
Vulnerability and social protection is one of the approved new
research themes of REPOA's Strategic Plan (2005-2009). REPOA's
proposal for a research programme on social protection entitled
'Developing social protection in a context of generalised
insecurity' presents a conceptual framework that guides allresearch
in this area. It sets out the contours of aninterdisciplinary
research programme on Tanzania organised around the theme of "from
generalised insecurity to transformative social protection".
The programme underscores the macro dimensions of generalised
insecurity as a principal cross-cutting theme that runs along
thefollowing three research sub-themes:
- Protecting income against impoverishment: income transfers and
consumption smoothing
- Preventing capability deprivation: enhancing human capabilities
through social provisioning
- Social protection and the development of productive
capabilities: labour, productivity and livelihoods across
theinformal/ formal divide.
These sub-themes seek to address the multiple dimensions of
social protection.
The challenge now is to better understand prerequisites and
potential for 'transformative social protection' in Tanzania. How
best to refine and operationalise REPOA's research agenda and
ensure that research undertaken is comprehensive in nature and
holds relevance to the overall process of social protection in the
country?
Social Policies for Development - The Research
Perspective, Research on Poverty Alleviation, Tanzania (rtf)
(more detailed version of the draft abstract as an rft
document)
Developing Social Protection in a Context of
Generalised Insecurity (detailed social protection research
agenda (pdf 162 Kb)
Servacius Likwelile, Director of TASAF:
Role of Social Policy: Lessons from Experience
(ppt) (presentation from the Kellokoski event)
Azaweli Lwaitama:
Social Policy for Development in a Globalizing
World (ppt) (presentation from the Kellokoski event)
For further insight into Tanzanian situation, see the
Afrobarometer Briefing Papers,e.g. nr.
Also check out REPOA's Poverty and Human Development Report 2005's
website.
Zambia
The President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Levy Patrick
Mwanawasa, delivered a speech on the need for comprehensive social
policies on the official opening of the inter-governmental
conference on social protection held at Livingstone. The transcript
can be accessed on the
Helpage website (pdf file).
Due to the fact that comprehensive social protection
interventions are lacking in Zambia, the MCDSS/GTZ Social Safety
Net Project, commissioned by the German Ministry of Economic
Cooperation and Development, supports governmental and
non-governmental organizations in developing an effective social
safety net for the most vulnerable households in Zambia. See the
website at http://www.socialcashtransfers-zambia.org/
The scheme delivers monthly some USD 10 to households with
limited self-help potential in the Kalomo District. The recipients
are identified by grass roots structures supported by the the
Public Welfare Assistance Scheme (PWAS) of the Department of Public
Welfare and are predominantly households headed by older women and
men, with HIV/AIDS affected family members, children and orphans in
them. The purpose of this pilot scheme is to test the impact,
feasibility and affordability of cash transfer schemes. Results
indicate that 30% of the transfer is spent on livestock, with the
rest spent on food, soap, blankets, school items, transport to
health and education facilities, and support to others
('chilimba'). The Fifth National Development Plan (2006-211)
envisages the extension of cash transfers to approximately 10% of
the population and is considering the social pension as a key
vehicle to do this. The main challenge will be the political
support needed to the allocation of resources to social
protection.
For a background information and detailed list of advocacy
activities within the Social Safety Net Project, see page
http://www.socialcashtransfers-zambia.org/pageID_3750648.html
on the website. |