Social protection has become a key area of policy interest on the international development agenda. Developing countries and donors alike are promoting social protection as a prominent policy intervention. And indeed, if social protection complements policies directed at increasing and improving employment and decent work, and at sustaining and improving the delivery of social services, notably health and education, it can be an enabler for development. This additionality is prerequisite to the arguments put forward in this note. By Gabriele Köhler
Social protection, defined as comprising contributory social security and tax-financed social protection (figure) has a long history in South Asia. In the formal sector, all countries have well-established social security systems, often introduced at the time of independence or even before. There is also a plethora of social assistance initiatives... ... this article comes up in WDEV 6/Nov-Dec 2009 is for subscribers only. For direct log in >>> click here.If you have no subscription please >>> pick your option or >>>
The Superiority of the Financial Transaction Tax + Global Unemployment on Record Levels + New Beginning in European Development Policy? + Clean Development for the South
Global Economic Prospects for 2010 + Does Copenhagen Really Matter? + Quo Vadis, German Development Cooperation? + Mapping Social Protection in South Asia
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Barely in office, German development minister Dirk Niebel unambiguously mapped out the road: he wants to ensure that development cooperation once again focuses on German interests. This position provoked-probably intentionally-protest from the greater part of the German development community.
Latvia and Estonia show us what Greece may look forward to if it follows the advice it gets from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union. As noted previously, Latvia has experienced the worst two-year economic downturn on record, losing more than 25% of GDP, a recent study shows.
A group of economists has written an open letter to European policymakers criticising their collective failure to address the Greek crisis as a European crisis. It sets out the various causes of the Greek crisis, of which poor fiscal management by that country is only one, and points out the European dimension of the problems. It calls for decisive and coordinated policies by European and national actors to stem the crisis.
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