Social protection in Southeast Asia

Despite significant economic and social change in the Southeast Asia region in recent decades, social protection systems remain a relatively residual component of public policy in most countries. This chapter explores the nature of social protection systems and potential directions for their reform, with a focus on five countries. It provides a brief overview of the coverage, adequacy and expenditure of social protection systems across the region. It identifies two key drivers of the limited scope of social protection: the limited place of social protection within dominant development models in the region; and the fact that systems are not adapted to the realities of vulnerability and the labour market. The chapter concludes by considering how social protection systems can be reshaped and reframed to address persistent and future challenges facing countries in the region, with a particular emphasis on the need for further integration between the contributory and non-contributory components of social protection systems.