Robert Palacios

Over the past two decades, social protection systems in much of developing Asia Pacific have been fundamentally transformed. Due to factors including rising country income levels, increased exposure to macroeconomic and climatic shocks, demographic and structural change, and changing expectations of the state from citizens, social protection systems in many parts of Asia Pacific have been expanding in terms of range of programs, level of public spending, and coverage of population. But the building of robust and inclusive social protection systems remains incomplete, and in sub-regions of Asia Pacific is at best nascent.This report charts the transformation of social protection systems in the East Asia and Pacific and much of South Asia region in the areas of social assistance, social insurance, employment programs, and delivery systems. It highlights the major diversity of social protection systems across the region, and the remaining challenges of consolidating, expanding and in some cases building them. It also suggests directions for deepening social protection reforms which reflect the diversity of country situations.

This white paper focuses on the policy interventions made to help people manage risk, uncertainty and the losses from events whose impacts are channelled primarily through the labour market.