A social contract approach to social protection: its potential and limitations

The idea of the social contract has become a basis for reframing social protection within state–society relations. This chapter examines the scope, depth and limitations of the contribution of social protection to the procedural, redistributive and participatory functions of a rights-based social contract, drawing on emerging evidence. The analysis suggests that constitutional reforms, state–civil society engagements and linking social protection to broader social policies may enable and strengthen social contracts. The evidence for social protection to support social cohesion outcomes is mixed and requires further research. In the global South, a critical review of the concepts of ‘state’ and ‘citizen’ is needed: while social protection may be compatible with a social contract approach, its transformative potential to strengthen the social contract is mediated by many socio-political factors and benefits from a social development lens. Careful attention to patterns of inclusion and exclusion is also required.