Global Social Policy in the Making : The Foundations of the Social Protection Floor

The global economic crisis continue to dominate headlines, yet measures to build a social floor under the global economy and reform global governance have received little attention. In 2012 the Social Protection Floor was adopted as a global social policy measure ensuring that all could have access to essential health care and income security over their lifespan. This book by the world’s leading authority on global social policy examines why and how the Social Protection Floor became ILO, UN and G20 policy and how the World Bank and IMF took steps to lay its foundation. Bob Deacon explains this development in terms of four influences: firstly, shifts in the global social structure, secondly, processes inside international institutions, thirdly, global actors -sometimes individuals - using their positions to make change, and fourthly, shifting discourses about social protection. This much-needed contribution to the field of global social policy will be of interest to students of international relations, international organization and development studies and should be read by international civil servants in global agencies.The global economic crisis continue to dominate headlines, yet measures to build a social floor under the global economy and reform global governance have received little attention. In 2012 the Social Protection Floor was adopted as a global social policy measure ensuring that all could have access to essential health care and income security over their lifespan. This book by the world’s leading authority on global social policy examines why and how the Social Protection Floor became ILO, UN and G20 policy and how the World Bank and IMF took steps to lay its foundation. Bob Deacon explains this development in terms of four influences: firstly, shifts in the global social structure, secondly, processes inside international institutions, thirdly, global actors -sometimes individuals - using their positions to make change, and fourthly, shifting discourses about social protection. This much-needed contribution to the field of global social policy will be of interest to students of international relations, international organization and development studies and should be read by international civil servants in global agencies This book tells the story of how the International Labour Organisation came in 2012 to recommend to all countries that they should establish a Social Protection Floor (SPF), containing basic social security guarantees that ensure that over the life cycle all in need could afford and have access to essential health care and income security. It is the story of how the concept of a “global social floor” was transformed from a term used by global social reformists at the turn of the century challenging neo-liberal globalization into a concrete global social policy measure. It covers the internal politics of one of the major UN international organizations, throwing light upon the respective roles of governments, employers and trade unions on the one hand, and the permanent Secretariat of the ILO on the other. It also describes the struggle to win other agencies in the ‘system’ of global social governance over to supporting this idea. It tells how the UN, the World Bank and the G20 all came to endorse the concept. More than a case study, the book sets out an analytical framework for understanding global social policy change and provides a critical assessment of the global social governance system This Book By The World's Leading Authority On Global Social Policy Examines Why And How The Social Protection Floor Became Ilo, Un And G20 Policy And How The World Bank And Imf Took Steps To Lay Its Foundation. -- Provided By Publisher. The Global Economic And Social Context -- The Development Of The Spf Recommendation -- The Spf, Social Dialogue And Tripartite Global Governance In Practice -- The Spf And Global Social Policy Synergy -- Implications For Understanding Global Social Policy Change -- Reflections And Prospects Bob Deacon. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.