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E-discussion: Social Protection
Social Protection constitutes 'the public actions taken in
response to levels of vulnerability, risk and deprivation
which are deemed socially unacceptable in a given polity or
society' (Conway et al 2000: 5). Elsewhere, Marcus and Wilkinson
have defined social protection as 'Policies and practices
intended to protect and promote the livelihoods and welfare
of people who have lost out, or stand to lose out in processes
of social and economic change and development' (Marcus and
Wilkinson, 2002). Some people are left behind in the drive
for economic growth, others are made vulnerable by processes
of liberalisation or globalisation, some are victims of conflicts,
others of shifts in the availability of natural resources.
In all of these cases, one of the negative outcomes can be
declining food security. The vulnerability theme highlights
the how, why and where people have 'lost out' to different
forces of change. In this theme on social protection we ask
what options there are, in the absence of adequate formal
social protection in Southern Africa, governments, donors,
NGOs and communities to provide support to vulnerable people
and support food security in the region.
Social protection can include both formal government interventions,
through policies and programmes, NGO projects and activities,
and practices and informal rules at the community or household
level. Social protection to support food security can be via
a direct intervention (for example school feeding) or can
be less direct (for example trade policies that favour foreign
investment, leading to more employment, leading to greater
purchasing power (and entitlements) on the part of households.
Some of the policy issues that will be explored in the e-conference
theme on social protection include:
- Options for prevention - what forms of social protection
could prevent a re-occurrence of the crisis in Southern
Africa in 2002?
- Options for mitigation - what are the best forms of humanitarian
assistance for impact on long-term development of markets
and economic growth and social impact, including the special
needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.
- Options for coping - what are the community practices
and formal activities that enable people to cope when their
food security is threatened, either by rapid-onset shocks,
or longer term trends?
- Options for social protection for people living with AIDS
(PLWA) - how do social protection options to support food
security for PLWA look different to other options?
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