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Social Protection Podcast is brought to you by socialprotection.org. We’re a knowledge sharing and capacity building platform, open to social protection practitioners, policy-makers, and experts, as well as academics and students. Social protection is a large and growing field, that has also achieved increased profile and salience since 2020 due to COVID-19. From building delivery systems and protecting People with Disabilities, to social protection financing and school feeding – there is no shortage of topics for Social Protection Podcast to tackle. Each month we will aim to bring you rich, interesting and different content. Through interviews, discussions and debates with experts and practitioners, Social Protection Podcast will illuminate new research and bring a range of perspectives to debates and controversies as well as areas of growing consensus.
Episodes
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
In this episode of the "Social Protection for Prevention of and Response to Gender-based Violence" series, our guests talk about how social protection schemes can provide assistance to people fleeing gender-based violence. These people are vulnerable and may need many kinds of support.
We look at examples of programmes providing cash support for survivors of domestic violence, as well as those that facilitate access to other services, such as referral pathways, healthcare, housing, etc.
Guests for this episode include:
- Tara Patricia Cookson, Assistant Professor of Gender, Development and Global Public Policy at the University of British Columbia and co-founder of Ladysmith;
- Merike Blofield, Director of the Institute for Latin American Studies at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies and Professor of Political Science at the University of Hamburg; and
- Gerson Nombora, Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Mozambique.
In the “Quick Wins” segment, Mayra Cardozo, a Brazilian lawyer and gender researcher, member of the National Human Rights Commission of the Federal Council of the National Bar Association of Brazil and Professor of Criminal Law at EPD, shares some of the findings of her research on the programmes in place in Brazil that help women and children who are survivors of domestic violence.
The joint webinar and podcast series "Social Protection for Prevention of and Response to Gender-Based Violence" is produced by socialprotection.org and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Tune in for the first webinar of the series, Girls Deserve Better: Countering Violence Against Adolescents through Social Protection, taking place on 28 March at 8.30 AM EDT.
Episode links:
Webinar: Harnessing Social Protection the Address Violence against Women and Girls
Book: Unjust Conditions: Women’s Work and the Hidden Cost of Cash Transfer Programs
Article: UNICEF Mozambique shows how 'cash and care' accelerate child well-being
Quick Wins link:
Article: Financial Support for Victims of Domestic Violence in Brazil
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
In this episode of the "Social Protection for Prevention of and Response to Gender-Based Violence" series, our guests discuss how economic factors can drive gender-based violence at the community level, and why this is important for social protection programming. The focus is on designing social protection programmes that can prevent gender-based violence against women and people with diverse gender identities, expressions, and sexual orientations (SOGIESC).
The guests draw on available evidence and practical experience to discuss various aspects of the social protection delivery chain, including targeting, registration, payment, and the unique risks and issues related to people with diverse SOGIESC.
Guests for this episode include Shalini Roy, Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and Emily Dwyer, Founder and Co-Director of Edge Effect.
In the "Quick Wins" segment, two guests from the World Bank—Alessandra Heinemann, Social Protection Specialist, and Gender Lead, and Palak Rawal, Gender and Social Protection Consultant—offer practical advice on designing social protection programmes that can safeguard and prevent gender-based violence. They also share additional resources for further reading on the topic.
The joint webinar and podcast series "Social Protection for Prevention of and Response to Gender-Based Violence" is produced by socialprotection.org and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Tune in for the first webinar of the series, Girls Deserve Better: Countering Violence Against Adolescents through Social Protection, taking place on 28 March at 8.30 AM EDT.
Episode links:
- Publication: Cash transfers and intimate partner violence: A research view on design and implementation for risk mitigation and prevention
- Publication: We don’t do a lot for them specifically: A scoping report on gaps and opportunities for improving diverse SOGIESC inclusion in cash transfer and social protection programs, during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond
- Podcast: How can social protection impact gender-based violence?
Quick Wins links
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Kicking off the three-part series ‘’Social Protection for Prevention of and Response to Gender-Based Violence’’, this episode presents a deep dive into what we know about the impacts of social protection on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and some of the remaining knowledge gaps. We look at economic empowerment programmes and how they can help reduce economic stress and challenge gender norms that often drive violence in community settings.
Drawing from the available evidence, our guests were also invited to reflect on both the positive pathways through which social protection can contribute to reducing intimate partner violence (IPV) and the possibility of it introducing risks of increased violence. Finally, as some food for thought, what would a feminist social protection policy look like?
Our guests for this episode:
- Ana Maria Buller, Associate Professor in Social Sciences and Director of the Gender Violence and Health Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Lusajo Kajula, Principal Investigator, UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti
- Amber Peterman, Research Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
For our ‘Quick Wins’ segment, Wessel van den Berg (MenCare Officer at Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice) talks about ways to engage men in the dialogue around gender norms and roles as part of a gender transformative approach. What does this entail for social protection?
The ‘’Social Protection for Prevention of and Response to Gender-Based Violence’’ series is produced by socialprotection.org and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), with the support from UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Episode links:
Public Work Programs and Gender-Based Violence : Evidence from Lao PDR
Domestic violence and workfare: An evaluation of India’s MGNREGS
Public Work and Private Violence
Cash Transfer and IPV Research Collaborative
Quick Wins links:
Applying a Masculinities Lens to the Gendered Impacts of Social Safety Nets
MenCare: A Global Fatherhood Campaign
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
The COVID-19 crisis has led to an acceleration in electronic payments of social protection benefits through individual bank accounts or mobile money. According to one global estimate, 80 million women opened accounts for the first time during the pandemic to receive government payments. Digital payments have long been seen as the first step towards improving people's financial inclusion and, by extension, their financial health.
In this episode, we discuss the idea of unbanked individuals gaining access to banking services and digital transactions, financial literacy, and savings options, and how this contributes to insurance, remittances, and other aspects. We also highlight the importance of careful and deliberate policy design to ensure that digital accounts can, in fact, open the door to greater financial inclusion instead of ending up as dead ends.
Our guests for this episode:
- Dr. Moizza Binat Sarwar, Research Fellow, Equity and Social Policy, ODI
- Astrid Devalon, Digital Financial Inclusion and Women's Economic Empowerment team lead, WFP
In the quick wins segment, Dominique Leska-See (Advisor for Digital Social Protection, GIZ) and Anita Mittal (Senior Advisor, Lead - Digital Convergence Initiative, GIZ) present the Digital Convergence Initiative for Universal Social Protection.
Resources:
Publication | Is going digital the solution? Evidence from social protection
Webinars | Talking interoperability - Dialogue Series
Publication | Digital Financial Inclusion and Women’s Economic Empowerment through Cash Transfers
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
After 2 years of COVID-19-dominated headlines, record inflation rates, and climate events taking centre stage in the global debate, it comes as no surprise that social protection might be called on to respond to these multifaceted crises. But can we forecast what the future of social protection might hold based on its latest developments?
For the final episode of the year, we invited Ugo Gentilini, Global Lead for Social Assistance at the World Bank, for a wide-ranging interview looking back at the main social protection themes in 2022. Among other topics, we talk about persisting myths, pathways for universality and the most interesting papers released over the year to help you catch up with that reading goal you might have set for yourself some months ago.
To shake up our traditional format a bit, the interview was paired with contributions by other members of our Social Protection Community, drawing attention to the big highlights of 2022, and their resolutions for the coming year. This episode features contributions from:
- Tomoo Okubo, Policy Specialist, UNICEF
- Christina Dankmeyer, Social Protection and Climate Change Specialist, ILO
- Vania Budianto, PhD Candidate, Australian National University
- Dr. Safdar A. Sohail, Dean of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), Pakistan
Resources:
- Weekly Social Protection Links: Ideas, evidence and practices from the world of social protection... by Ugo Gentilini
- World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future
- Tracking Global Social Protection Responses to Price Shocks: Living Paper v.3
- The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity
- The Politics of Distributing Social Transfers: State Capacity and Political Contestation in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
- How Effective Is (More) Money? Randomizing Unconditional Cash Transfer Amounts in the US
Thursday Nov 24, 2022
Thursday Nov 24, 2022
In the aftermath of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) and the important debates that followed, this episode discusses the relevance of social protection as an actionable strategy for climate action.
This year was marked by severe climate events and risks, with a rise in heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires, leading to significant effects on those most vulnerable to environmental hazards. Many no longer perceive climate change as a future threat, but rather as a pressing reality that places countless people at risk of deteriorating living conditions and even losing their livelihoods.
How can social protection help address the risks posed by climate change today and in the future? To bring the issue into perspective, we asked our guests to reflect on both climate adaption and mitigation, focusing on possible pathways for environmental restoration and nature-based solutions, as well as an equitable transition towards a post-carbon economy.
Shedding light on these concerns, we heard from Bessie Msusa, Chief Economist in the Department of Economic Planning and Development in Malawi, and Cecilia Costella, Independent Consultant and Senior Advisor with the Red Cross Climate Centre. Finally, for this month’s Quick Wins, we were joined by Felicity O’Brien, Assistant Director at the Social Protection Team at Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Resources:
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Thursday Oct 27, 2022
Social protection can play an important role in ensuring that poor and vulnerable people meet their nutritional needs. What are the factors at play? This episode helps explain how social protection can contribute to improving food security and reducing the nutrition gap.
While the adequacy of social protection interventions seems to be at the forefront of the discussion, the state of food systems and prices must also be considered. On average, social protection covers only 5-10 per cent of household food costs. With food prices surging to record levels over the past two years, this has become a pressing challenge, especially in the face of long-term risks to human development.
Our guests for this episode have contributed greatly to unpacking these topics:
- Saskia de Pee, Chief of Analytics and Science, Nutrition Division, WFP
- Jessica Owens, Regional Advisor, Social Policy, UNICEF ROSA
- Marco Knowles, Senior Social Protection Officer, FAO
For our ‘’Quick Wins’’ segment, Martha Santos (Programme Manager for South-South and Triangular Cooperation at UNICEF) provided her inputs directly from the Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo 2022).
Resources:
- The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022: Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make healthy diets more affordable
- Tracking Global Social Protection Responses to Price Shocks: Living Paper v.3
- WFP's Fill the Nutrient Gap tool
- ISPA’s Food Security and Nutrition tool (FSN)
- (Webinar) Global Food and Nutrition Crisis and Building Forward Better
- (Webinar) Ripple effects of the war in Ukraine: What role can 'adaptive' social protection play to prepare for and respond to anticipated global price shocks and hunger?
- Global South-South Development Expo 2022
- ESCAP-led Thematic Solution Forum on Social Protection and Health: South-South and Triangular Cooperation to Enhance Capacity to Produce and Deliver vaccines
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
The UN General Assembly has declared 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) to enhance global awareness and promote collaboration around the theme. To provide guidance for related initiatives, the IYAFA Action Plan was structured around seven pillars, including social and environmental sustainability. Social protection can provide valuable contributions to all of them.
In this episode, our guests were invited to reflect on the role of social protection in covering vulnerable fisheries and fish workers against various social and climate-related risks and uncertainties. They also shared country case examples and reflected on some of the main aspects around the furthering of social protection for the fisheries sector.
Along with our host, Jo Sharpe, Daniella Kalikoski and Daniela Salazar—both Fishery Officers at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)—and Sebastian Mathew, Executive Director of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) participated in this rich discussion.
In the second part of the episode, Fabio Veras, Research Coordinator at the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) presents some quick wins in celebration of the IPC-IG’s 18th anniversary.
Resources:
International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022)
IYAFA 2022’s Global Action Plan
Insights from an analysis of Seguro-Defeso’s legal framework
Webinar: Impact Evaluation of the Seguro Defeso in Brazil
Cash Transfer Programmes in Brazil: Impacts on Inequality and Poverty
Yemen National Social Protection Monitoring Survey (NSPMS): 2012-2013 – Final Report
Thursday Sep 01, 2022
Thursday Sep 01, 2022
In this episode, we are talking about social protection and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent triple crisis of food, energy and finance have set back progress towards the SDGs. Social protection is seen as an SDG accelerator that can contribute to many, even most of the SDG targets from ending poverty and hunger to improving gender equality and access to health and education, and even tackling inequality and climate change.
But can we make enough progress in the time left to achieve the SDGs?
Our guest on this episode, Nenad Rava - Head of programmes at the Joint SDG Fund - talks about how social protection interventions can catalyse change and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition, in September we are celebrating the seven-year anniversary of socialprotection.org – which hosts the Social Protection Podcast. In this special Quick Wins, we will hear from Mariana Balboni – Coordinator of socialprotection.org - about the platform’s most exciting features and some of its achievements.
Resources
Joint SDG Fund - Integrated Policy for Leaving No One Behind
Promoting the Specific Needs of Women and Girls: The Joint SDG Fund Gender Marker
Closing Gaps: Making Social Protection Work for Women in Mexico
Accelerating Vietnam’s Transition Toward Inclusive and Integrated Social Protection
Albania - Improving Municipal Social Protection Service Delivery
Quick wins resources
e-Conference: Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity: What’s next for social protection?
Social Protection and COVID-19
Dashboard: Social protection responses to COVID-19 in the Global South
Social protection responses to COVID-19 [Task force] Online Community
Social protection in crisis contexts Online Community
Thursday Jul 28, 2022
Thursday Jul 28, 2022
Targeting is one of the most widely debated topics in social protection. Who should receive support from social protection systems? How do we identify the ‘right’ people, and reach them?
The way countries choose to target programmes involves weighing up a complex set of issues, including cost and coverage, the likely degree of ‘error’ over who is excluded and included, the need to respond dynamically to changing circumstances and shocks, and the need to build political support for investments, as well as trust and community cohesion.
In the meantime, our targeting toolkit is still made up of a handful of fundamental methods and approaches, each with their strengths and weaknesses, when it comes to the critical task of selecting and reaching people in need.
In this episode we introduce some of the key trade-offs most frequently invoked when making decisions about targeting social protection and ask our guests about the latest thinking on how to reconcile these challenges and dilemmas.
Our guests for this episode are:
Rachel Sabates-Wheeler — Research Fellow, IDS
Matthew Wai-Poi — Senior Economist, World Bank
Plus, to contribute to our monthly segment of ‘Quick Wins’ which highlights news, achievements, and research that have shaped recent developments and sparked our interest, we heard from:
Nazanin Akhgar, Chief of Social Policy/PME, UNICEF Iran
Quick wins resources
UNICEF's Global social protection programme framework
Programme Guidance: Strengthening Shock-Responsive Social Protection Systems