BRICS have done in the space of a few years substantial progress in the implementation of their social protection systems. Continuing this development, however, involve raising new obstacles, including funding and inclusion of workers the informal sector.
- Social protection in the BRICS
In the last few years, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have experienced rapid development of social protection, every country taking a different path: insurance schemes in China; a highly developed benefits system in South Africa with minimum social security payments covering a large share of the population; conditional cash transfers in Brazil, etc.
Among the emerging countries, these changes are nothing exceptional. However, the size of the BRICS countries makes them a particularly significant example, and gives credibility to a 'social protection floor' – the subject of the ILO's Recommendation no. 202 of June 2012, which states that every country should have universal health cover and a safety net for the poorest. The diversity of experiences of the BRICS confirms the idea that there is not just one model for this 'floor'; on the contrary, there are many ways for this goal to be achieved.
If the development of social protection in the BRICS is to continue, however, difficult challenges will have to be tackled, particularly as regards financing and the inclusion of workers from the informal sector. Recent reforms in these countries have sketched out responses to these challenges: the development of noncontributory or semi-contributory schemes to cover workers otherwise excluded from social protection, conditionality of benefit payments to modify people's behaviour, original forms of partnership between the public and private sector, and the use of public works programmes to guarantee minimum incomes.
France and the European Union can play an important role in terms of cooperation to help the BRICS meet these challenges.
Summary
- The BRICS and the developement of social protection workdwide
- The major challenges faced by the BRICS
- How the BRICS have responded
- France and Europe: the renewal of cooperatin policy
- Authors: Catherine Collombet, Caroline Lensing-Hebben, Social Affairs Department .
Tags: BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, emerging economies, developement, inequalities, social security, social protection, ILO, informal, floors, conditionality.