The Role Of Social Security In Developing Countries

Social security systems throughout the world are faced with unprecedented challenges in response to growing criticisms about unacceptable expenditures for government programs and questions about the appropriate role of government in providing social protection through social insurance and social assistance programs. The challenges are also a result of dramatic demographic, social, and cultural changes around the world. A variety of radical and modest reform measures are currently being discussed which have the potential of significantly impacting the means of income and health care for the elderly, children, and families. This book examines these challenges from the perspective of local analysts in both industrial and economically developing nations. The purpose of the analysis is to promote a better understanding of the integral role that social security plays in the social and economic development of diverse societies. The chapters examine the wide range of challenges to social security in Britain, Egypt and Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. An overview of the most prevalent issues are discussed, including fiscal viability, economic development, equity, administration, public confidence, and the role of social security as the primary government instrument for social protection against the loss of income and health. Essential reading for students and researchers in social policy, gerontology, and comparative social welfare.

This report offers an in-depth overview of the important, and sometimes controversial, issues surrounding social security in a global context: its relationship to employment and development, its extension in terms of personal coverage, and its contribution to gender equality, as well as its financing. Consisting of resolutions and conclusions drawn from the International Labour Conference, 89th Session, 2001, this book contains the report to the conference - prepared for the general discussion on social security and sets out the key topics and priorities for providing and managing social security systems. Global trends in social security expenditure are covered, as the report addresses such pivotal questions as: Is social security facing an ageing crisis? Is it facing a globalization crisis? Has it reached its limits in terms of affordability? The concept of social dialogue, and its part in strengthening and expanding social security, is also discussed and the report considers how family and local solidarity networks, institutions, enterprises, governments and the international community can help enhance the effectiveness of social security. (ILO Website)

This ninth phase of the International Social Security project, which studies the experiences of twelve developed countries, examines the effects of public pension reform on employment at older ages. In the past two decades, men’s labor force participation at older ages has increased, reversing a long-term pattern of decline; participation rates for older women have increased dramatically as well. While better health, more education, and changes in labor-supply behavior of married couples may have affected this trend, these factors alone cannot explain the magnitude of the employment increase or its large variation across countries. The studies in this volume explore how financial incentives to work at older ages have evolved as a result of public pension reforms since 1980 and how these changes have affected retirement behavior. Utilizing a common template to analyze the developments across countries, the findings suggest that social security reforms have strengthened the financial returns to working at older ages and that these enhanced financial incentives have contributed to the rise in late-life employment.

The term "social security" has a very different meaning in underdeveloped countries -- whose populations live in great insecurity -- and is best understood as poverty alleviation. This book attempts to define social security in the Third World and to examine what sort of programs are most suitable for developing countries. The authors review current literature on the subject. Some chapters explore broad themes, others contain case studies describing social security provisions in various regions of Asia, Latin America, and Southern Africa. This illuminating study will be of interst to development economists as well as those working in international organizations concerned with policy-making in the Third World and management of resources.

This book builds the case for a comprehensive social security system to be developed in all countries – to eliminate desperate conditions of poverty, reverse growing inequality and sustain economic growth. It gives the history of the rich countries in meeting poverty and shows how the strategies in the poor countries can be greatly improved.