What drives social pension reform? Comparing latin america, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons why countries in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia have adopted social pension programmes and which factors have influenced their specific design. It aims to provide a better understanding and to propose a framework for analysis of the politics of social pension reform in developing countries and to identify policy lessons for informing the design and implementation of social protection schemes for older people.

The paper reviews experiences with introduction or reform of social pension programmes in selected countries in the different regions, in order to illuminate the political processes leading to their introduction and implementation, their institutional characteristics and design as well as their impact on poverty and social development. The paper argues that pension schemes must be understood in relation to the broader development and welfare regime of each country, with several external and internal factors and actors influencing the feasibility and results of reform processes.

A starting point for the analysis is the hypothesis that social pensions tend to emerge from two distinct processes: either through the reform of established pension schemes, often as part of a process of retrenchment, economic restructuring or a demand for increased coverage; or through the expansion of anti-poverty or social protection provisions particularly in lower income economies or those hit by crisis.