Attesting to feminist interest in social protection, there exists today a voluminous and growing literature, produced by academics, international organizations, civil society and think tanks, examining the gender content and impacts of social protection policies. The added value of this paper is...

Presents the calculation of the cost of basic social protection benefit packages and their affordability in five Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Viet Nam.

In recent years, the discussion about welfare state reform has often focused on the effectiveness of social security schemes. This debate is torn between calls for more effective poverty alleviation on the one hand and concerns about welfare dependency and the need for stronger targeting of...

Pension reforms have been on the political agenda of governments and of international organisations as the OECD and the World Bank for some time. However, the strengthening of private elements in pension systems is often believed to intensify existing inequalities in the distribution of pensions...

Although highly-developed welfare states in the industrialized world spend a large share of their income on social security, poverty and social exclusion have not been eradicated. The persistence of income poverty in industrialized welfare states casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of...

This paper reviews proposals for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) in light of ILO standards. Some UBI proposals have the potential to advance equity and social justice, while others may result in a net welfare loss. The ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation (No. 202) includes a number of...

This paper presents the results of costing universal social protection floors in 34 lower middle-income, and 23 low-income countries, consisting of: (i) allowances for all children and all orphans; (ii) maternity benefits for all women with newborns; (iii) benefits for all persons with severe...

Attesting to feminist interest in social protection, there exists today a voluminous and growing literature, produced by academics, international organizations, civil society and think tanks, examining the gender content and impacts of social protection policies. The added value of this paper is...

This report presents the methodology and the results of a modelling exercise that demonstrates that basic social protection benefits are not out of reach for low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, even though some international assistance would be necessary for a transitory period. The...