Managing welfare expectations and social change: policy transfer in Asia

Abstract

The question whether Asian welfare types can be classified as distinctly ‘productivist’ has remained subject to lively debates: in East Asia, the recent implementation of social rights‐based public policy innovations – including working family support – as a response to rising inequalities, welfare expectations and accelerating social change has been well documented; similarly, South East Asian and South Asian economies have featured much more frequently in comparative social policy analysis as policymakers have sought to address persisting chronic poverty, a diminishing demographic dividend and burdensome epidemiological transitions via integrating human capital formation with social protection measures. This work is part of ‘Poverty reduction and regional integration: a comparative analysis of SADC and UNASUR health policies’ project supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the UK Department for International Development