| dc.description.abstract | Issues related to social protection are becoming very crucial in the aftermath of the
global financial crisis but also in vie
w of growing inequality in the developing world
(although recent trends and experience on inequality vary substantially among regions
and countries). Indeed, there is a growing consciousness of the benefits of social
protection as a measure to protect peop
le from becoming trapped in poverty, to
empower them to seize opportunities, to help workers to adjust to changes and to deal
with unemployment and thus support productivity. Therefore, the importance of social
policies and social protection systems that a
ddress and reduce inequality and social
exclusion for long
-
term sustainable and inclusive growth should be taken into
consideration in development policy. Social protection can also support the
achievement of poverty reduction, rising the income in the sho
rt run, allowing people
to build their assets (such in the case of the Brazilian
Bolsa Familia
Program and the
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program of conditional cash transfers in the
Philippines
) and therefore accelerating growth, with positive spillovers
at the
community level (such in the case of the Mexican
PROGRESA/Oportunidades
Program). Promoting inclusive growth via social protection policies can also help on
the political stability front in developing countries. Yet, we need to know more about
the
mechanisms and the channels through which social protection and social policy
more general affect the most vulnerable in the developing world (and beyond).
Furthermore, social protection policies are absolutely essential in countries suffering
from “struct
ural economic vulnerability”. Finally, conceptual as well as measurement
issues regarding inequality and inclusive growth require further attention and a fresh
look in order to delve deeper into these issues and go beyond mainstream approaches
in defining
the various forms of inequality and inclusive growth (and thus the need to
adopt multidisciplinary approaches on that front).
Since its inception in 1999, GDN has organized conferences in almost every region of
the world.
GDN
conferences are
also
unique,
not just in sheer numbers of people who
attend, but also in the range of issues they discuss
and the regions they represent.
Another important
feature of
GDN conferences is that they provide promising young
researchers from developing countries with an opp
ortunity to showcase their research
in an international forum and benefit from interaction with world renowned
academics and policymakers. This has important positive implications for capacity
building, a
central element of the GDN mission. | en |
