Resources on social protection

  1. Can China get old and rich at the same time?

    07 November 2012

    China has already done a lot to adapt labour markets and social protection systems to an ageing society. But it will have to do more to balance its economic and social needs.

  2. Insuring livestock to protect the poor

    12 October 2012

    Livestock insurance has the potential to reduce the vulnerability of poor populations. The challenges are formidable, but recent technology offers hope.

  3. China’s latest revolution: Basic health care for all

    03 September 2012

    On 6 April 2009, China unveiled an action plan for a radical and ambitious health-care reform aimed at attaining universal health insurance coverage by 2020. Three years later, the country has almost reached this goal. What’s the secret behind the success?

  4. Can the European elderly afford the financial burden of health and long-term care? Assessing impacts and policy implications

    10 May 2012

    This research report assesses the financial impact of private health and long-term care expenditure on households of the elderly, in particular, the impact of out-of-pocket payments at the time of service delivery and related policy implications.

  5. Video: Building a Sustainable Future with Decent Work in Asia and the Pacific

    04 December 2011

    Economically, the Asia-Pacific region has performed impressively in recent years. But the austerity measures in Europe and contracting consumer markets in the United States – Asia’s two largest export markets - are threatening the region’s continued growth. Growing unrest among the region’s massive, under-employed youth population and persisting unfair distribution of economic gains are challenges that must also be addressed. The ILO and its constituents in government, employer and worker organizations are trying to find a common approach that benefits all.

  6. Video: Coordinated Macroeconomic, Employment and Social Protection Policies in Asia and the Pacific

    04 December 2011

    A post-crisis, macroeconomic framework that supports more inclusive and balanced growth requires a renewed commitment to full employment as a core macroeconomic policy goal. Trade and investment policies can work together with tax and social protection systems to support employment, and ensure that the benefits of growth and productivity are shared more widely. Some of the ways forward are the creation of a basic social protection floor and public employment guarantee schemes targeting the unemployed and working poor.

  7. Video: Working Together to Share in the Asia-Pacific Region’s Productivity and Prosperity

    04 December 2011

    There’s good news in the global economic crisis. While the rest of the world’s economies grew just 3% in 2010, economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region more than doubled that. But there’s a hidden story behind the successes of Asia’s booming economies. Joblessness, especially youth unemployment, persists throughout the region. The ILO and its constituents in government, business and workers organizations are working to change that.

  8. Employment and social protection in Viet Nam

    01 December 2011

    This study provides an empirical analysis on the formal sector’s participation in mandatory social insurance, followed by a review of international practices on the interplay between employment and the social protection system.

  9. 15th Asia and Pacific Regional Meeting - Thematic panel I: Coordinated macroeconomic, employment and social protection policies

    This panel considers ways that trade and investment policies can work with tax and social protection systems to support employment, and ensure that the benefits of growth and productivity are shared more widely.

  10. Social Protection: An Interview with the ILO's Michael Cichon

    16 November 2010

    With the launch of the ILO's World Social Security Report 2010, ILO TV interviews Michael Cichon, Director of the ILO Social Security Department. The report examines the current state of social security across the world and the positive impact that a social protection floor can have as a social and economic stabilizer, particularly in times of crisis. Michael Cichon argues that all countries can put some basic social protection measures in place. "We have a saying in the social security department: there is nobody too poor to share," he says.