SOCIAL POLICY FRAMEWORK: A NEW VISION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE OECS

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SOCIAL POLICY FRAMEWORK A NEW VISION FOR SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT IN THE OECS

• REPORT PREPARED BY
• PROF. CLIVE Y. THOMAS
• Institute of Development Studies University of
  Guyana
• January 2001

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The CY Report

• The main objective
• Prepare a social policy framework document as a
  blueprint for national social policies in the
  OECS.

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The CY Report

• Subsidiary objectives
• Undertake a background analysis of the current
  social and economic situation
• Provide a justification for social policy
• Suggest An indicator of overall policy goals and
  objectives and
• Recommend programme initiatives and institutional
  arrangements.

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This Review

• Seeks to present the central components of Prof.
  Thomass Framework
• The Key concepts underpinning the framework
• Will not present the economic or social analysis
  which is presented in the study but
• Seeks to open the Dialogue around the
  institutionalization of a Social Policy Framework
  which Prof. Thomas suggested

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Key Findings

• The absence of a conceptual framework, grounded
  in the reality and aspirations of the region, and
  linked as well to the evolving global norms and
  practices, is, perhaps, one of the most important
  deficiencies of social policy in the region.

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Methodology and Structure of the CY Thomas Report

• Methodology
• A Qualitative Study entailing
• An extensive review of relevant literature and
• In-depth interviews with key stakeholders from
  the OECS Secretariat, member countries and
  regional personnel working on OECS issues

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Structure and Methodology ..contd

• Structure
• Introduction
• Review of
• economic performance and outcomes
• Social performance and outcomes
• Assessment of the international environment and
  social policy
• Elaboration of the framework for social policy
  design, implementation and monitoring in the
  OECS and
• A recommended modality for taking the report
  forward.

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CONSIDERATIONS FOR SOCIAL POLICY based on
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND STRUCTURE
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Five considerations, which justify the
construction of a social policy framework

• Economic growth is a necessary, though not a
  sufficient condition for social development
• Growth has been below the estimate of 6 percent
  per year real growth indicated by ECLAC as
  required to bridge the social and technological
  gaps in Latin America-Caribbean region

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Basic Considerations contd

• The particular configuration of the regional
  economies leaves them vulnerable to exogenous
  shocks, both external and internal, even in
  periods of high growth. The need therefore, for
  social protection policies to deal with
  interruptions even in the context of high
  economic growth remains urgent
• The region's economic structure has embedded in
  it a number of systemic constraints, limitations,
  and weaknesses and

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Basic Considerations contd

• The prospects of OECS growth depend upon
• (a) further diversification,
• (b) continued FDI inflows,
• (c) international competitiveness,
• (d) political and social stability, and
• (e) the performance of the global economy.

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Key systemic constraint and limitation in the
OECS,

• The SIGNIFICANT VULNERABILITY of the OECS.
• Based on the combination of small size, economic
  openness, the degree of diversification of the
  economy, levels of income, and exposure to
  natural disasters

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Major External Internal Pressures on the OECS
Social Welfare System

• External
• Donors Inter-governmental
• Change of vision to suit donors perspectives.
• Increased role of international obligations,
  standards and norms
• Globalisation
• Economic uncertainty
• Internal
• Demographic changes

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Different Pressures

• Ideological pressures
• Pressures created by the fact that the upper
  middle classes are tending to withdraw from
  participation in the state system of social
  welfare provisioning
• Labour market changes and their impact on
  education, training, unemployment, and the nature
  of the work process and
• The disincentive effects of welfare provisioning.

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Major Implications for Social Policy

• The view of social policy and social spending as
  an investment in people and institutions (social
  capital) and therefore productivity enhancing,
  has gained only limited acceptance throughout the
  region
• There is manifestly insufficient coordination
  between social institutions, even at the level of
  central government
• The central role of the worker or the core-bread
  winner in social policy formulation is not
  adequately recognized

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Major Implications contd

• Institutions across all the domains remain
  severely deficient in their capacity,
  flexibility, and adaptability
• The legal basis for a modern social service
  delivery system is not there
• The importance of social relationships and shared
  values as resources for effective social action
  is not sufficiently recognized
• Since the 1970s, redistributive policies have
  receded into the background of public discourse
  and

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Major Implications contd

• The regions institutional approach to social
  services delivery and the reality of the poverty
  of particular communities

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Needs Based Rights Based

• A rights-based approach prioritizes individuals,
  households and communities as active agents with
  claims to resources to promote their own
  development. It is
• participatory and partnership oriented and
• recognizes all rights, including economic,
  cultural and social.
• the needs-based approach can potentially
  establish top-down command and control mechanisms
  to ensure their provision.

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International good-practice

• First, it reveals the experience to date from
  learning-by-doing as interpreted by the donor
  countries and translated into policy support for
  the region and
• Second, it sets the norms and standards against
  which the framework recommended in this report
  can be measured.

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Social Policy A Conceptual Framework for the OECS

• A major challenge to the promotion of sustainable
  human development in the OECS is the absence of a
  coherent and well-articulated framework to shape
  the evolution of social policy and
• Policy interventions will be largely ah hoc and
  reactive to the unfolding domestic and external
  situations.

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Construct of a conceptual framework for Social
Policy in the region

• Eight concrete steps are required
• Step 1 provide a workable definition/description
  of social policy as it applies to the OECS.
• Step 2 present a clear delineation of the
  philosophical premises on which the
  definition/description of social policy rests.
• Step 3 state the overall objective of the social
  framework.

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Construct of a contd

• Step 4 identify the main strategic objectives,
  which follow from the overall objective.
• Step 5 indicate the main areas through which
  social welfare/protection benefits are to be
  provided.
• Step 6 identify the basic concerns of the social
  policy framework and the groups of policies which
  address these.
• Step 7 bring together the components of the
  framework
• Step 8 highlight the key innovative features of
  the framework.

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Definition

• Social policy refers to
• Those aims, objectives and declared intentions of
  a range of organizations in the public,
  private/business, civil sector, and international
  community that are intended to meet the needs of
  the entire OECS population, male and female, in
  order to improve their well-being or welfare
• The way these are translated into programmes for
  change and
• The outcomes of these programmes

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• Four premises
• Population of the OECS, both male and female, are
  actors, owners, and initiators of social policy.
  They are expected to have (and demand) increasing
  agency over the domains of society, economy,
  polity, and culture.
• The necessity/imperative for social reform and
  change is a widely shared value among the
  population of the OECS.

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• Social change will be ultimately reflected in the
  nature and quality of the social relations,
  inter-connections, and shared values among the
  population of the OECS..
• Social Development is a public good,

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Overall objective

• The creation of more secure and functional social
  relations/also termed social capital
• The enlargement of the capability of its
  population, both men and women, (and in
  particular poor and vulnerable groups) to meet
  their needs and interests
• Through effective participation in the activities
  of the four central institutions of the OECS
  state, market, household, and community.

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Strategic objective

• The development objective of social policy in the
  OECS may be described as enabling the population
  as a rule, men and women, and vulnerable groups
  in particular, to (1) address their needs and
  interests, (2) secure greater livelihood
  security, and (3) to strengthen social relations
  (social capital).

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Nine development goals

• Poverty eradication
• Building social capital
• Securing family/household relations
• Gender equity
• Participation/empowerment
• Institutional sustainability
• Environmental sustainability
• International competitiveness
• Macroeconomic stability and balance

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Social Protection/Welfare Objective

• The social protection/welfare objective addresses
  both the principles that guide the distribution
  of welfare benefits and provisioning in the
  society, and the specific means or welfare mix
  through which these are provided.

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Theoretical approaches

• The risk-based approach
• Capability or resource approach

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Social Welfare Regime/Paradigm

• Social protection/welfare is offered through
  specific welfare regimes or paradigms.

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Social Protection Objective

• Welfare Paradigm/Regime
• Welfare Mix
• Welfare Outcomes
• Stratification Effects

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Operationalizing Social Protection/ Welfare

• Employment
• Income supplements
• Consumption provisioning
• Direct services
• Regulation

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Basic Concerns Related Policies

• Empowerment
• Livelihood security
• Social services
• Social integration

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Basic concerns contd

• The basic concerns can be addressed through three
  types of social policy
• Investment in human capital
• Protection/compensatory policies
• Social integration policies

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Highlight features

• The Social Policy Framework suggested,
  deliberately goes beyond the social sector
  budgetary analysis that very often passes for
  social policy determination in the region.
• It seeks to create the context within which
  programmes and projects, whether originating in
  the state, private, civil, household, community,
  domestic or international sectors, can be
  conceived, assessed, implemented, and evaluated
• The Framework focuses on the all the key levels
  of decision-making in the society

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Highlight features contd

• In a basic sense, the framework provided here is
  intended to be iterative
• The framework takes a long-term perspective of
  the development of social policy
• The starting point of the framework has been the
  review of social and economic performance and
  outcomes in the region
• The proposed framework should form the basis for
  dialogue and
• The framework treats gender equity as a
  cross-cutting theme.

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Value-added of this Report

• Is its contribution towards crafting a
  conceptual social policy framework document,
  within which social policy interventions and
  programmes in the Region can be located.

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Political will

• We are reminded that without political
  commitment to pursue a course of social policy,
  its successful implementation, is highly
  unlikely.