Frameworks and Approaches
Frameworks and Approaches
Saumya Uma
Structure
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Objectives
1.3 Meaning and Importance of Social Protection
1.4 Historical Development of Social Protection in India
1.5 Providers of Social Protection
1.6 Types of Social Protection Programmes
1.7 Approaches to Social Protection
1.8 Overview of Policies and Programmes
1.9 Gender Concerns in Social Protection
1.10 Let Us Sum Up
1.11 Unit End Questions
1.12 References
1.13 Suggested Readings
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The term ‘social protection’ and the debates and discussions around it have
gained momentum since the mid-1990s. Internationally, social protection
gained greater attention after the Asian financial crisis, which resulted in
huge job losses, and it became clear that globalization and its economic
and financial repercussions have adverse consequences for certain vulnerable
and marginalized groups and sectors. The context in India has been set, on
the one hand, by changes in the macro policy framework and internal
pressures for labour market reform, and on the other by continuing high
levels of poverty and vulnerability (Sudharshan, 2009).
1.2 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of reading this Unit are to:
• Discuss the importance of social protection and the role of the State
in providing the same;
299
Legislation, Social • Explain various frameworks and approaches to social protection in
Protection and Policy
general, and more particularly in the Indian context; and
Box No. 1
Box No. 2
• promote social justice and equity and make growth more efficient and
equitable;
• provide protection for all citizens against risk including financial crises;
• ensure continuity of access for all to the basic services necessary for
developing human capital and meeting basic needs.
In the following section you will read who provides social protection to poor
and vulnerable sections of society.
During the colonial period, the government initiated famine relief measures
that were successful in reducing mortality and frequency of famines. As a
result, no major famine was encountered between 1902 and 1943 in the
country. The last major famine that affected Bengal also encouraged the
government to control the trade in food grains and expand the urban public
distribution system. During the struggles for independence, reduction of
large-scale poverty and inequality was an objective, within the overarching
aim of achieving independence.
In the following section you will read who provides social protection to the
poor and marginalised people.
303
Legislation, Social
Protection and Policy 1.5 PROVIDERS OF SOCIAL PROTECTION
Traditionally, the State is the provider of last resort. It may take on a
limited responsibility, such as offering protection at the time of contingency
or assume broader responsibilities, including direct and indirect action on
poverty by way of providing aid and benefits. The concept of a welfare
state, such as in India, usually incorporates some form of social security as
a constitutionally-protected right and an inalienable component of citizenship
and a prescription to the State to redistribute wealth and help those in
need. However, welfare states vary greatly in the extent of responsibility
they assume for social protection. For example, the United States of America
takes responsibility for general welfare in a targeted manner only when the
market and/or family fails, limiting its scope to marginal and deserving
social groups. In contrast, the European Welfare State assumes responsibility
for a broader spectrum of social services and plays a highly organized role
in distributing these services as entitlements to all its citizens.(Linda Low,
2003, p.30)
In developing countries, the state’s capacity to reach out to the vast majority
of the underprivileged population may be limited because of its limited
resources. Evidence suggests that the poorest households in poor countries
scarcely ever benefit from direct state support, relying instead on transfers
from a range of non-state sources (kin, community, religious organisations
etc). In such a context, multiple agencies that could provide for social
protection, include governmental and non-governmental sources, market,
civil society and households. Social protection can also be carried out
informally through community or inter- and intra-household support
networks.
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Frameworks and
Approaches
It is time for you to assess your understanding of the text read in this unit
till now.
305
Legislation, Social Let us now read about different types of socal protection programmes that
Protection and Policy
have been instituted to provide relief to socially and economically vulnerable
people in society.
The following diagram (figure 2) shows contents and inter play of different
types of social protection programmes.
306
Frameworks and
Approaches
Tax-financed
benefits, in
cash or kind
Labour market
regulations, support
prices of goods,
microfinance,
employment support
Social insur-
ance, health
insurance, crop
insurance etc.
3) social assistance systems (poverty alleviation in cash and in kind for all
in special need) and
Box No. 3
While the social protection policy in India was originally designed based
on a welfare approach, it gradually transformed into a development-
oriented and then an empowerment approach.
Table 2 appended at the end of the unit indicates some schemes set up
under each category.
The contents of following Box will give you the summary of what you have
read in this unit.
Box No. 3
Learning Points
309
Legislation, Social
Protection and Policy • Social protection is provided by the State as well as a range of non-
state sources, such as family, community, religious organizations,
civil society groups and other non-governmental sources.
Before you move to the next section of this unit, assess your critical
understanding of this unit by taking up the following exercise.
310
Frameworks and
Check Your Progress: Approaches
In the last section of this unit we will read about gender concerns in social
protection.
Women and men face different constraints and barriers thus limiting
opportunities for women and girls in a more severe manner. In the opinion
of Kabeer(2008), these constraints can be:
311
Legislation, Social • gender-specific i.e. societal norms and practices that apply to women
Protection and Policy
or men by virtue of their gender;
Take up the following exercise to assess your understanding of the last few
sections.
314
Frameworks and
4) Name the processes to integrate gender concerns in social protection Approaches
policies
Thus, in order that social protection programmes address the specific forms
of vulnerability and risks that women and girls face, it is important that
gender concerns are integrated into such programmes, both while designing
and implementing them.
1.12 REFERENCES
Avato, J., Koettl, J. and Sabates-Wheeler, R. (2009). Social Security Regimes,
Global Estimates, and Good Practices: The status of social protection for
international migrants’ World Development, 38 (4), 455–466.
Barrientos, A. and Hulme, D. (2008). Social Protection for the Poor and the
Poorest: An introduction. in Barrientos A. and Hulme D. (eds.), Social
protection for the poor and the poorest: Concepts, Policies and Politics.
Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
DFID (2005). Social Transfers and Chronic Poverty: Emerging Evidence and
the Challenge Ahead, A DFID Practice Paper, DFID: London.
Holmes, Rebecca and Jones, Nicola (2009). Putting the ‘Social’ Back into
Social Protection: A Framework for Understanding the Linkages between
Economic and Social Risks for Poverty Reduction, Background Note, August
2009, Overseas Development Institute.
Kannan, K. P. and Pillai N. V. (2007). Social security in India: The Long Lane
Treaded and The Longer Road Ahead Towards Universalization, MPRA Paper,
No. 9601; available at: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/9601/1/
MPRA_paper_9601.pdf, accessed on 6 March 2012.
316
Luttrell, C. and Moser C. (2004). Gender and Social Protection, Report Frameworks and
Approaches
prepared for DFID: London.
Norton Andy, Conway Tim and Foster Mick (2001). Social Protection Concepts
and Approaches: Implications for Policy and Practice in International
Development’, Overseas Development Institute Working Paper 143.
Thakur, Sarojini Ganju, Arnold Catherine and Johnson Tina (2009). Gender
and Social Protection, Discussion Paper 3, Commonwealth Secretariat, London.
317
318
Conditional and • Insufficient and/or unequal allocation of • Promote investments in • Improves survival, nutrition, health and education of
unconditional cash resources and opportunities between boy and children’s health, girl children
transfers for mothers girl children. nutrition and education.
and children (mainly • Promotes and expands women’s livelihood options.
targeted at mothers/ • Child labour, especially boys. • Reduced maternal and
• Increases women’s bargaining power in household
primary carers). infant mortality.
• Female foeticide and child marriage. and community.
• Insufficient nutrition and pre- and post-natal • Can bring excluded women into the circle of citizenship.
care, and risks for working mothers.
• Improves nutrition and health of newborn and mother.
Childcare support for • Children may be left alone in the house or with • Reduce reliance on poor • Improves access to education for girl children.
working mothers. an unreliable carer when mothers go out to care arrangements and
• Expands women’s employment opportunities.
work. likelihood of adverse
effects for children. • Increases women’s participation in public life.
School feeding • Children may not attend school due to • Promote investments in • Better nutrition and uninterrupted education
programmes/after- domestic chores/home-based work (mainly children’s health, promotes employability and productivity of next
school training. girls) and child labour (mainly boys). nutrition, and education. generation of workers.
Secondary school • Double burden of work/ school leads to low • School retention for girls. • Can delay marriage of daughters aged 11-19.
scholarships or productivity, fewer opportunities in adulthood, • Positive impacts for future health and well-being.
additional stipends for more likelihood of entering high-risk
girls. employment (e.g. hazardous industries, • Overcomes parental indifference/reluctance over
prostitution). girls’ education.
1
Source: Sarojini Ganju Thakur, Catherine Arnold and Tina Johnson, ‘Gender and Social Protection’, Discussion Paper 3, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, January 2009 at pp. 6-7
Employment- • Gender-related inequalities in access to • Cope with threats to • Can help to break inertia of on-going
generating public employment. income and consumption unemployment.
works programmes. flows.
• Loss of employment/ employment insecurity • Creates infrastructure that may enable women’s
because of pregnancy or time taken out for mobility or reduce workloads.
childcare.
Social pensions. • Costs of retiring or withdrawing from work in • Meet basic needs of • Can give elderly men and women some bargaining
the absence of any work-related provision for elderly and destitute. power.
retirement.
• Can act as recognition of women’s unpaid work.
• Widow’s loss of assets to late husband’s family;
dependence on good will of children/family • Improves security, dignity, self worth, status,
members. particularly for elderly widows.
Legislation. • Discrimination (e.g. inheritance, land • Women’s empowerment. • Gives women tools for advancing their status and
ownership). empowerment.
Frameworks and
Approaches
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Improving living standards of the poor Education • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA: Education for All)
(programmatic framework)
• The Right to Education Act
Health • National Rural Health Mission
• Janani Suraksha Yojana a safe motherhood intervention under the NRHM.
Housing • Indira Awas Yojana
Drinking Water and Sanitation • The National Rural Drinking Water Programme
• Total Sanitation Campaign (for access to sanitation in rural areas)
Child Nutrition • The Integrated Child Development Services
• The Mid Day Meal Scheme
Food Security • Targetted Public Distribution System
• Annapurna Scheme
• National Food Security Act.
• Minimum Wages Act, 1948
Livelihood / Conditions of • National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW)
work
• Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (financial assistance to members of Below
Poverty Line (BPL) families for creating income generating assets
• Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (employment-oriented urban poverty alleviation
scheme)
• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)
1
The contents for this Table have been derived from Sudha Pillai, “Social Protection Floor” in India, G20 Social Protection Floor India Brief 20 May 2011, available at http://www.ilo.org/
gimi/gess/RessFileDownload.do;jsessionid=b759dd3691a8de7ff56d69ec019b52c9c62ad6e78c324eeba35943399931f09b.e3aTbhuLbNmSe34TbO0? ressourceId=25718, accessed on 8 March
2012
Targeted Social Security Programmes Employment Security • The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
for the Very Poor
Pensions • Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme
• Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme
• Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme
Category Issue Scheme / Programme
Social security measures for unorga- • The Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 (schemes to provide for life and
nized/informal sector workers disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and any other
benefits)
Health Insurance • Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
Death and Disability Insurance • Aam Admi Bima Yojana
Welfare Funds • Handloom Weavers’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme
• Handicraft Artisans’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme: consisting of Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi
Swasthya Bima Yojana and Bima Yojana for Handicrafts Artisans.
• National Scheme for Welfare of Fishermen and Training and Extension
Social Protection Measures for Orga- • The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1927
nized / Formal Sector Workers • The Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923
• The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
• The Plantation Labour Act, 1951
• Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme 1952
• Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme,1976
• Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.
• The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948
• The Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
• Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana
Frameworks and
Approaches
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