Redrawing the Welfare Map: New Directions in Social Policy in the Mena Region

It is often assumed that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lacks effective social welfare systems and is reform resistant. Yet, there is growing evidence of long-standing, complex systems of social protection provided by a variety of actors and, in the wake of the popular uprisings of 2011, significant reform efforts. This MENA country cluster study, part of the UNRISD project New Directions in Social Policy: Alternatives from and for the Global South, assesses the background, nature and impacts of these initiatives in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and Tunisia.

UNRISD Project Briefs pose questions, flag ideas and contribute knowledge that can improve the quality of development debates, policy and practice. They provide a concise summary of an UNRISD research project, situating it within wider social development debates; outlining its focus, objectives and methodology; and highlighting interim findings.