New Directions in Social Policy: Global Research Workshop

In order to understand the nature of changes in social policy in developing countries in the midst of widespread economic crisis and uncertainty, UNRISD is undertaking a three-year research project New Directions in Social Policy: Alternatives from and for the Global South. This three-day workshop brings together representatives from all research teams working on country studies, individual authors of country papers and international experts on topics such as global social policy, the informal work sector, decentralization and the role of civil society to discuss research findings and lessons from the project.

At this workshop, researchers will:

• Present preliminary findings and lessons from their fieldwork and research.
• Provide feedback on other teams’ papers, and identify commonalities and differences in new directions in social policy in the case countries and regions.
• Discuss a coherent explanatory framework for new directions in social policy in emerging and developing countries.

The expert participants will provide the researchers with theoretical and conceptual insights to better frame and guide their research for finalization of the presented papers.

Expected Outcomes:

1. Workshop participants will benefit from a deepened understanding of social policy trends and gain insights into emerging social protection strategies.
2. The discussions will produce additional coherence and coordination on the project’s main questions, hypotheses and issues, and lessons learnt.
3. UNRISD will engage with the teams’ interim findings and will establish a work plan for disseminating their results, including publications of the completed research.

This event is taking place in conjunction with a Policy Dialogue with the Centre for Social Development in Africa.

Workshop Participants:

Research Team Representatives

Brazil
Lena Lavinas, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

China
Bingqin Li, University of New South Wales, Australia

India
Sanjay Ruparelia, The New School for Social Research, New York, USA
John Hariss, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Indonesia
Brooke Wilmsen, La Trobe University, Australia

Russia
Anna Tarasenko, National Research University Higher School of Economics (St. Petersburg), Russia
Elena Iarskaia, National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow), Russia
Linda Cook, Brown University, USA

Rwanda
Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu, University of Rwanda

South Africa
Sophie Plagerson, Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Tessa Hochfeld, Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Leila Patel, Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

MENA Cluster I (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia)
Rana Jawad, University of Bath, UK
Adam Coutts, University of Cambridge, UK

MENA Cluster II (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia)
Heath Prince, Director, Ray Marshall Center, University of Texas, USA
Amna Khan, Independent Researcher


Policy Experts

Rina Agarwala, Johns Hopkins University, USA
Lauren Graham, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Dele Olowu, Independent Consultant
Smita Srinivas, Columbia University, USA
Nicola Yeates, Open University, UK
Ilcheong Yi, UNRISD, Switzerland