Strengthening Social Protection Systems in Asia and the Pacific in the Aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis

The triple threats to development1 in 2008 and 2009 highlight the need to strengthen social protection systems in Asia and the Pacific. This Policy Brief provides reasons why this strengthening should be a critical component of the region’s development agenda, and shows that a number of innovative initiatives in this area have already been implemented, pointing the way forward. There is a need to build on such initiatives so that their full countercyclical macroeconomic stabilizing effect can be tapped into before threats materialize.