Social Protection for Employment: Opportunities, Challenges, Innovation & Evidence – some reflections

South-South Experience Sharing Event:Designing and Implementing Social Protection Programs for

Employment9-12 May 2017

Manila, Philippines

Dr Anna McCord(Development Pathways)Research Associate, ODI

Honorary Research Fellow, University of ManchesterResearch Affiliate, SALDRU, University of Cape Town

Summary• You rose to the challenge• Huge number of issues identified, many explored• Surprising commonality across countries and continents• A few observations and then pick out some of the themes

seemed to be of particular significance• Much to consider to ensure SP and employment responses

meet new labour market challenge • Much material for reflection:• Practical implementation issues • Instrument design issues• Broader conceptual and policy choice issues – emerge

from implementation discussions

What have we seen and heard about…• Cash transfer programmes• Public employment programmes• Programmes which link CT/PEP beneficiaries to

training, job placement, livelihoods development, microfinance….

• Programmes which provide CT/PEP income AND provide• training programmes (social and technical)• job placement• livelihoods development programmes• Microfinance• Case worker support (individual/hh level intervention)

Improves  quality  of  labour Labour  Demand

Cash  Transfers

Reduces  financial  barriers  to  employment

Improves  knowledge  of  labour  markets

Reduces  social  barriers  to  employment

Labour  Supply

Create  additional  employment

Spillover  increase  in  employment

Promotes  self  employment

Direct relationshipIndirect relationship

PWP

Social  Protection

Social Protection

Improves  quality  of  labour Labour  Demand

Cash  Transfers

Complementary  Interventions

Skills  Training

Life-­‐skills  training

Child  care  provision

Access  to  Microfinance

Reduces  financial  barriers  to  employment

Improves  knowledge  of  labour  markets

Reduces  social  barriers  to  employment

Labour  Supply

Active  Labour  Market  Policies

Social  Care  +  Support

Create  additional  employment

Spillover  increase  in  employment

Promotes  self  employment

Direct relationshipIndirect relationship

PWP

Social  Protection

SP and cross sectoral linkages

Improves  quality  of  labour Labour  Demand

Cash  Transfers

Complementary  Interventions

CASE  WORKER  APPROACH

Skills  Training

Life-­‐skills  training

Child  care  provision

Access  to  Microfinance

Reduces  financial  barriers  to  employment

Improves  knowledge  of  labour  markets

Reduces  social  barriers  to  employment

Labour  Supply

Active  Labour  Market  Policies

Social  Care  +  Support

Create  additional  employment

Spillover  increase  in  employment

Promotes  self  employment

Direct relationshipIndirect relationship

PWP

Social  Protection

SP and complementary service integration

SP and complementary service integration (mandate expansion)

Linked to programme success - capacity to reach poor households – entry pointsWeakness of other sectors in reaching the poorØ Programmes growing more complex, adding

components to compensate for services not reaching the poorest

ØMandate growth is linked to demand for sustainable exit from poverty – may result from political imperatives; Mexico, Philippines, South Africa

Challenges of integration (internalisation)

Trade off between increasing SP coverage and diversification of processes and services delivered ØBecome multi sectoral extension workersØMultiple function requires high skill and range of

expertise – it is feasible/efficient?ØChallenge institutional capacity - may impact on core

mandate deliveryØ ‘Christmas tree’ effect…

1 Coordination is KING!

• Multiple stakeholders – cross sectoral, different levels of government, (centre, region and local) civil society, private sector

• Institutional mandates and structures (incentives) • Understand and support mandate• Negotiation skills• Credibility• Political support & visibility• Incentives - is collaboration a burden or benefit (role

of budgets)

2 Value of ‘Programme Protection’

• Need to protect programmes from political revision or reduction (‘foolproofing’)• Legislation• Budget funding mechanism• Electoral power of beneficiaries if large

scale

3 Challenges for Active Labour Market Policies (ALMP)• Placement, soft skills training, funding for job search

etc are popular• Challenge in context of lack of labour demand• Evidence - limited success international/OECD in

terms of impact on labour market performance• Popular but may not be delivering what intended• may not be optimal intervention in context of mass

chronic unemployment • Nb LABOUR MARKET FAILURE MEANS

• Training may not lead to employment• A job may not be route out of poverty!

4 Evidence and Evaluation

• Limited evidence of sustained labour market and livelihoods impacts of these interventions• good quality evidence can support programme

quality and political buy in - India and Mexico…• Do we know what is more effective in promoting

employment and livelihoods benefits;• Social protection – CT and PEP• Complementary labour market (placement, skills

training, etc) programmes?

Key factors for success• Key role local staff capacity• Collaboration with local authorities• Market analysis and linkage• Ensure feasibility of business enterprises,

employment opportunities • Programme instruments match labour market context• Institutional linkage and credibility• Political support• Resources (major constraint to coverage)

Much food for thought – to be continued

• Thank you

• Good luck!