Social Protection, Social Security and Social Service in a Development Context : Transformative Social Policy Approach

Despite the emphasis on social protection and social security as human rights, only a small segment of the world’s population (only about 20% of the world’s working-age population and their families) actually enjoys that right and more than half of the world’s population lack any type of protection at all. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the number of people with access to even the most rudimentary protection is estimated to be less than 10 per cent(International Labour Organization, 2010). Together with crises of food, energy and climate change, the global economic crisis since 2007 is more likely to worsen the situation in terms of its coverage and the level of benefits due to both global and national financial constraints, in particular in developing countries. Recent research based on fiscal projection data published by the IMF for 126 low and middle income countries shows there will be a further contraction of government spending in 2010-2011 through wage cuts, reduction of subsidies and more targeted schemes of social protection which will inevitably result in the reduction of social protection and social security (Ortiz et al., 2010).