Due in January 2023.

Over the past two decades, social protection systems in much of developing Asia Pacific have been fundamentally transformed. As a result of factors such as rising country income levels, increased exposure to macroeconomic and climatic shocks, demographic and structural change, and citizens’ changing expectations of the state, social protection systems in many parts of Asia Pacific have been expanding in terms of range of programs, level of public spending, and coverage of population.

But the building of robust and inclusive social protection systems remains incomplete, and in sub-regions of Asia Pacific it is at best nascent. This book charts the transformation of social protection systems in the East Asia and Pacific region and much of the South Asia region in the areas of social assistance, social insurance, employment programs, and delivery systems. It highlights the major diversity of social protection systems across the region, and the remaining challenges of consolidating, expanding, and, in some cases, building them. It also suggests directions for deepening social protection reforms that reflect the diversity of country situations.