Social Security Provision Research Articles

Middle-Income Groups in Kenya. Conflicting Realities Between Upward Mobility and Uncertainty

For more than a decade scholars mostly from economy and development studies have described the rise of a newly emerging ‘middle class’ in the Global South including Africa. This has led to a ‘middle class narrative’ with the ‘middle class’ as the backbone of economic and democratic development. Especially with regard to the stability of the position of the people in the ‘middle’, empirical social science studies challenge the ‘middle class narrative’ and at their uncertainty and insecurity. This tension between upward mobility at the one hand uncertainty and instability at the other hand (the vulnerability-security nexus) and the options to cope with this challenge under the condition of limited provision of formal social security is the focus of this case study on Kenya. Instead of an analysis of inequality based on income, it is more helpful to start from the welfare mix and the role of social networks as main elements of provision of social security. Against this background, we identify different strategies of coping that go together with different sets of values and lifestyles, conceptualised as milieus, that are not determined by the socio-economic situation.

CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF SOCIAL MECHANISM OF PROVISION OF SOCIAL SECURITY IN THE SPHERE OF INTERETHNIC AND INTERCONFESSION RELATIONS

An article presents the analysis of methodological approaches to the construction of a model of social mechanism of provision of social security in the sphere of interethnic and interconfession relations in conditions of the migration processes transformation. A general focus lays on the analysis of social mechanism of provision of social security in the context of social risks in the sphere of interethnic and interconfession relations; it includes three level of analysis: micro level (institutional), meso level (social-group) and micro level (individual). The given conceptual model has a number of important methodological and methodical functions, helps to make the understanding of the process of provision of social security in the sphere of interethnic and interconfession relations more holistic; makes interregional and international correlations in the study of interethnic and interconfession relations in conditions of the migration processes transformation more system and operationalized.

The Role of Institutional Framework and Technology on Food Security in Short and Long-Term in Indonesia: Autoregressive Distributed Lag Approach

The agricultural sector has been given the largest contribution to economy Indonesia. Besides being able to absorb large numbers of workers, the agricultural sector also has an important role in reducing poverty vulnerability in rural households. This study aims to analyze the role of institutions and technological use in food security which proxied by the food production index in Indonesia, both in the short and long term. The analytical technique for estimating short-term and long-term relationships in this study is the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model using time series data from 1978-2014. The results showed that in the short term land availability, technological use in technology (tractor machines) and the availability of electricity had a positive and significant effect on food production in Indonesia. Whereas in the long term, land availability and GDP per capita are positive and significantly enhances food security. In addition, the institutional framework proxied by political rights and civil liberties has significant positive and negative effects in the long term. Variable land availability is the biggest factor in increasing food security in Indonesia so that a policy that effectively regulates agricultural land use needs to be made. Interaction between the society, farmers and the government is also needed to create synergies and contributions related to food production. The provision of social security to farmers, especially when there is a shock, and the policy of procurement of agricultural technology must also be considered to maintain national food security in the long run.

Associations between identity processes and success in developmental tasks during the transition from emerging to young adulthood

ABSTRACTLittle is yet known of how personal identity processes of exploration and commitment develop beyond adolescence and how they interact with developmental tasks of young adulthood. Employing the DIDS (The Dimensions of Identity Development Scale; commitment making, identification with commitment, exploration in breadth, exploration in depth and ruminative exploration) in a longitudinal sample of Finnish young adults (measurement at age 24 and 29; N = 854, 63% women), the results of this study suggested 1) that identity commitment and exploration levels, in general, decrease over time, 2) that success in developmental tasks but not sex moderate this development, and 3) that among developmental tasks, parenthood is the strongest predictor of changes in identity processes over time. The results support a view of personal identity as a dynamic process moderated by contextual factors beyond adolescence and have practical implications for social security provision in an increasingly precarious labour market. Political decisions that support young adults’ trust in the future and a sense of continuity by strengthening different forms of social security are called for. A debate on values related to success is also needed to lessen the emotional costs of uncertainty.

Social Security Provisions in practice: Evidence from Prerogative of Indian workforce

Social security not only protects people from various shocks across the life cycle, but also plays a crucial role in boosting domestic demand and productivity, supporting the structural transformation of national economies, and promoting a culture of decent work. In this concern, the paper intends to analyze the association of prerogative of the workforce for social security provisions with various factors related to the quality of workforce and status of employment, using unit level data extracted from the 68th round of NSS survey on employment and unemployment with the help of chi-square test statistics. The paper wraps up with the conclusion that social security provisions are still at a milestone as the majority of the workforce is out of social security net. Qualitative attributes of workforce help in getting better job opportunities in the formal sector and thus opens a route of entitlement for social security provisions. Herein, the status of employment has emerged as an important factor in this concern. Herein, regular and contractual workers in government and large enterprises/organisations, formal private limited companies and cooperative societies etc. are entitled for social security provisions. Casual workers, domestic servants, self-employed and informal workers without any job contract have remained out of the social security net. Hereby, a special policy of the government is required to broaden the umbrella for social security provisions. There is a dire need of special provisions for self-employed to provide strength to entrepreneurs to come up as job providers under the safety net to fight against the uncertain and undesirable phase of a lifetime.

The Prosperity of Nigerian Manufacturing Companies: Effect of Human Resource Conservation

This study investigates the effect of human resource conservation on the prosperity of manufacturing companies in Nigeria using cross-sectional survey. The accessible population consists of ten functional manufacturing companies in Nigeria using simple random sampling. Eighty-five (85) top level managers and middle level managers were surveyed from ten manufacturing companies. A Sample size of seventy (70) was ascertained using Krejcie and Morgan. Seventy (70) copies were administered, but sixty-two (62) copies of the questionnaire were correctly filled and returned. Simple regression was used to analyse the hypotheses. This study found that human resource conservation has a significant effect on the prosperity of manufacturing companies in Nigeria. This study concluded that human resource conservation that is measured in terms of the good working environment; provision of social security, stable payment of salary, availability of medical care will enhance the prosperity of manufacturing companies in Nigeria. One of the recommendations is that Nigerian government should mandate all manufacturing companies to register with social trust funds where they will be making financial contributions that can be accessed anytime a worker has a serious ailment to deal with.

Інституційне забезпечення державного регулювання соціальної безпеки

Under the conditions of a systemic crisis in Ukraine, the potential for socioeconomic development is decreasing, social inequality in society is growing, integration processes in the EU are being held back, and instability is growing stronger. State regulation of social security is responsible for changing the situation, for increasing the effectiveness of institutional support, which should take into account the needs and challenges of today. The study of the features of institutional support of state regulation of social security and the directions of its improvement had become the goal of the article. The main obstacles to public administration that hinder the formation and strengthening of social security in Ukraine, and lead to the emergence of new social threats were identified in the article. Social threats were classified and systematized into three groups: social threats of a person, society, state. Institutional provision of state regulation of social security was presented as a system of institutions and institutes of social, regulatory, economic orientation, as well as their interaction. The basis of institutional support is the regulatory component. Social security in the public administration system remained declared in the legal documents of Ukraine, and in practice – unformed and unrealized – was justified in the article. Measures have been proposed to improve the regulatory mechanism of state regulation of social security of Ukraine. These measures include making changes to the strategic documents of Ukraine related to the allocation of a separate direction of the state policy of national security – ensuring social security. It is necessary to strengthen control over the effectiveness and adequacy of the legislative and regulatory framework for ensuring social security and to develop scientific, methodological and legal provisions for the development of the system of social protection of the population. Important areas for improving the mechanism of state regulation of social security are the determination of the powers and responsibilities of state and local authorities to ensure social security in a decentralized environment and their appropriate coordination and improvement of the regulatory and legal provision of social security through adaptation to international requirements and social standards.

Strengthening Social Security Systems in Rural Areas of Developing Countries

It is now generally accepted that the approach of enlarging state-based social security systems in developing countries in order to achieve universal coverage has failed. It is the poor and rural population in particular who are largely excluded from any kind of social insurance. This paper reviews the literature to identify the major reasons for state and market failure, describes the existing systems and their institutional strengths and weaknesses and analyses the possibilities for a public-private partnership. To this end, the paper identifies four main providers of social security, namely the state, the market, member-based organisations, and the private households.Whereas the reasons for state failure – inadequate and inefficient programmes to deal with the socio-economic realities – and market failure - information problems and high transaction costs- have been analysed in great detail, there is controversy over how adequately member and private household-based systems can protect members against basic risks such as illness, disability, accidents and death. Several empirical studies in rural areas have shown the limits of traditional insurance arrangements, which basically provide insufficient coverage against co-variate risks while entailing high costs in terms of pursuing less risky activities. Moreover, these systems are under heavy pressure from change in the socio-economic environment, such as market penetration and population growth. Given this situation, the paper explores the possibilities of a public-private partnership that are created by exploiting local information, on the one hand, while enhancing the possibilities of risk pooling, reinsurance and better access to risk capital, on the other. However, a successful partnership depends on several factors. The ones identified and discussed here are the willingness of the state to withdraw from certain activities and the political and economic environment required for wider private engagement in general. The paper concludes by introducing a preliminary agenda for policy action and research. Then literature survey has shown that a lot of questions about the appropriate institutional design of social security systems in rural areas remain unanswered. More research is needed to identify the population’s actual needs and its demand for insurance in a specific socio-economic context and agro-ecological zone, to analyse the economic and social impact of innovative insurance schemes recently evolving in many countries, to identify conditions for a successful private-public partnership for social security provision and finally, to find appropriate ways of translating the findings into adequate policy measures.

Right to Social Security of Employment Migrants in European Union

The article deals with the issue of social security of employment of migrants from third-countries to the European Union. This publication gives a short overview of literature and more detailed outlook of international, interstate, and national legal sources, conferring rights of third-countries workers employed in the EU. The author commences the analysis from the legal background for social security right safeguards. Following this goal, the documents of the Council of Europe are researched, particularly European Social Charter (revised). As per the EU regulation of migrants’ right to social security guarantees, there are sources studied or referred to in the article. The Treaty of Lisbon and the EU directives are mentioned as legal sources, including latest development in the EU social security law.It is stated on different approaches to social security provisions exercised by a Member State. The vision of problem of insufficient attention to victims of illegal employment of immigrants and their vulnerability is developed. Certain analysis of Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU regarding social security, migration issues, and principles of cooperation in given sphere is presented.Article received 15.05.2018

Overview of recent cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union (July – October 2018)

In the reporting period July-October 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered three rulings ( Alpenrind, Walltopia, and Commission v Belgium) concerning the conflict rule for posted workers as contained in Article 12 of Regulation 883/2004. The CJEU clarified the meaning of the `non-replacement condition', the legal status of workers who are recruited for the sole purpose of being posted to another Member State as well as procedural aspects relating to A1 certificates. In addition, the CJEU delivered judgments on the portability of personal care benefits (A), the application of the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of disability to social security provisions contained in collective agreements ( Bedi) and the protection of supplementary pension claims in the event of insolvency of the employer ( Grenville Hampshire).

Taking the initiative: Direct democracy, coalition governments and welfare state expansion

Direct democratic rights are increasingly adopted around the world. However, what are the consequences of the introduction of initiative and referendum rights for welfare state development? The existing literature holds a pessimistic view on the role of direct democracy for welfare state development and generosity. Whereas referendums are argued to constitute a major roadblock to the extension of social expenditure, the link between initiatives and social security provision is unclear. I contribute to the existing literature by arguing that the effect of direct democratic instruments on welfare state extension is systematically related to the political environment. More precisely, I contend that governments with a few parties deviate from the median voter preference by providing insufficient social expenditure, whereas the opposite is true in settings with many governing parties. In both cases, voters employ direct legislation to correct for the spending behaviour of governments. Using time-series cross-sectional data on social expenditure in the Swiss cantons from 1930 to 2000, I show that initiatives and referendums constrain social expenditure growth in settings with many governing parties, but expand it when a few parties are in government.

Increasing income-based inequality in suicide mortality among working-age women and men, Sweden, 1990–2007: is there a point of trend change?

BackgroundIncome inequalities have risen from the 1990s to 2000s, following the economic recession in 1994, but little research has investigated socioeconomic inequalities in suicide mortality for working-age men and women...

Introduction: Quantifying and reporting social security obligations

AbstractIn a context of increasing transparency of social security scheme design and financing, assessing the financial implications of the promises made to current and future retirees of a social security pension system has become a key issue. The central role played by actuaries in the financial evaluation of social security systems means that the debate regarding methods and assumptions to use in such an exercise is of interest to all actuaries, those who use their work and those whose decisions are based on their work. This, in theory, appears a rather technical debate. However, in reality, these deliberations have a much wider impact. The discussion around how to assess the implications of promises made by social security systems to current and future populations will affect the decisions taken regarding the key features of systems, in particular the social contract between generations. It also feeds into the debate regarding sustainability, inter‐ and intra‐generational equity, the adequacy of benefits and the robustness of systems; that is, how future changes to the economic and demographic environment will affect systems. This introductory article discusses the importance of this topic including the implications for actuaries, policy‐makers and other stakeholders and then summarizes the six substantive articles that comprise this special issue. These articles reflect different points of view, but also different experiences and environments – which adds to their value as contributions to this important debate. Finally, this introduction sets the context for the reader – to ensure that the technical aspects of the set of papers are considered within the wider framework of social security provision and financing.

Female Domestic Workers:Exclusion from Decent Work and Dignity <i>A Case Study of Pune City</i>

The present study attempts to understand the vulnerability of female domestic workers with reference to exclusion from decent work conditions in Pune city. Also, there is attempt to know the discrimination of female domestic workers, their awareness about provisions of social security, registration at Maharashtra Domestic Workers’ Welfare Board for their welfare and unionisation. The study brings out that they are not only vulnerable to security of job but their social security stands violated. Besides, patronising and discriminatory relationship with the employers, they lack awareness about welfare schemes, registration at Board and unionisation which makes them vulnerable in terms of ensuring “decent work” conditions.

Legislative Scrutiny, Co-Ordination and the Social Security Advisory Committee: From System Coherence to Scottish Devolution

This article examines the parliamentary processes available to scrutinise draft social security regulations in the UK, highlighting the democratic deficit that exists between executive power and parliamentary authority, and reviewing the unique scrutiny function of the UK Social Security Advisory Committee. The article explores the development of devolved social security powers in Northern Ireland and Scotland and the oversight gap that is now emerging between devolved and reserved powers, with the potential for unintended adverse consequences arising for claimants moving between the different systems within the UK. The article considers the oversight options that might be developed to include independent and expert oversight of devolved social security provision in Scotland, focusing on the need to enable system coherence and fairness in the treatment of claimants, regardless of their geographical circumstances.

No Wages for Love: Womenns Rights Within Families and Changing Economic Paradigm

The neoliberal economy has changed the manner in which labour, love and relationships have been recognized, appreciated and structured in a society. The economic crisis which has cropped up in recent years, where the employment is shrinking, the economy is deteriorating, the common people are left with little options to earn their livelihoods and the state is rolling back from its welfare role, all this is making a significant impact on social relations. These economic changes are also making deep impact on the social institution of marriage and family which is weakening and is being threatened in the given neoliberal environment where money is replacing love, commercialization is substituting the social and the emotional bonds, the civic relations are waning and fading away and where the community support is gradually becoming extinct. The consumer paradigm in the free market economy now put an onus on the individual to seek services such as health, education or employment in the market rather than putting onus on the state or the community to provide for these basic services. This paradigm is deeply affecting the men and women on the margins. More importantly, when the institution of marriage breakdowns and the women are compelled to walk out of the marital relation with no support from the state, community or extended family, their situation becomes challenging. In the absence of the matrimonial property rights, women who abandoned, separated or are divorced, are deprived of any right to assets in the marital property owned by the husbands in the patriarchal society. Neither the law nor the society recognizes the contribution of women in the marital household. This paper looks at two cases going on or have been tried in the family courts and the struggle within the courtroom at the time when the institution of marriage breakdown and the individuals, as men and women, are being left vulnerable in their struggle for survival. It concludes that despite of the legal provisions relating to maintenance, mediation, protection of women against domestic violence, men and women and most importantly, men who are poor, and, women in general, are compelled to struggle in their daily lives. Neither the law could neither imagine the situations outside the paradox of the family nor the free market approach has helped in any way to advocate for the social policies that could offer alternatives lead a life with dignity in situations where economic, social and political life is transforming in the market driven economy. Trapped in the web of legal technicalities and the complexities of free market norms, these men and women are facing increasing vulnerabilities, where the state has refused to bail them out in any manner. It is therefore suggested that the law relating to divorce needs to be reconsidered with matrimonial property to be divided equally among the separating parties and more importantly the rights of women to marital property be examined. Giving women equal rights in the marital property is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity for any economy. It is also recommended that while considering the ill-effects of the capitalist economy, the concept of the provisions of social security and the welfare support measures need to strengthened, and in cases of breakdown of the institution of marriage, wherever required, special provisions to be made to support the women and children in vulnerable situations.

Strategic planning in the system of social and humanitarian security provision in Ukraine

The article substantiates the essence of strategic planning as an organizational andlegal element of management activity in the system of social and humanitarian security provision in Ukraine. Based on the analysis of legislative and strategic documents, the legal principles of strategic planning in the field of social and humanitarian security provision as a component of the national security of Ukraine were researched. The main problems and contradictions of approaches to strategic planning in the national public and management practice were revealed. The ways for improvement of strategic planning in the system of social and humanitarian security in Ukraine are offered.

Human Resource Conservation and Organisational Stability in Nigeria: A Study of Selected Government Agencies in Abia State

This study investigated the relationship between human resource conservation and organisational stability using cross-sectional research survey. Accessible population consists of five (5) federal government agencies in Abia State. A total of two hundred and twenty (220) workers were randomly sampled. A sample size of one hundred and forty was ascertained using Krejcie and Morgan. Both primary and secondary sources of data were utilized. One hundred and forty copies of questionnaire were distributed but one hundred and sixteen (116) copies were correctly filled and returned. This study concluded that human resource conservation that is measured in terms of good working environment, provision of social security, stable payment of salary, availability of medical care enhance the stability of organisations in Nigeria. One of the recommendations is that Nigerian government should implement social security policy in order to have a stable economy.

Development of pedagogical staff as a constituent part of creating the image of a general secondary educational institution

The article considers the concepts “image” and “image of an educational institution” and presents thecomponents of creating the image of an institution of general secondary education. The emphasis is placedon the fact that, considering the environment of growing competition between educational institutions, theability of school heads to implement a balanced scientific-based personnel policy is absolutely necessarysince it is one of the most important factors influencing the formation of a positive image of an educationalinstitution. The article highlights the expediency of progressive development of pedagogical staff as a keycomponent which forms a favorable image of an institution of general secondary education. The factorsinfluencing the development of pedagogical staff are singled out. The article specifically emphasizes that general secondary education, and thus the promotion of a good image of an educational institution, there canbe named staff recruitment, training and advanced training, certification of employees, certification ofteachers, staff motivation, creation of proper working conditions, provision of social security, permanentcontacts between the leadership and employees of an institution, etc. The paper suggests a model for takinginto account the factors which favor the development of pedagogical staff of institutions of generalsecondary education as a prerequisite for creating a positive image of a general secondary educationinstitution.among the leading factors that impact on the effectiveness of personnel management in institutions of

Creating an ownership society? Social security reform and the temporalities of libertarian rhetoric

AbstractFormer US president George W. Bush's idea of the United States as an ‘ownership society’ can be considered as the rhetorical apex of a conservative, libertarian push for a more market-driven restructuring of American social institutions. Reformers in the Bush administration particularly targeted Social Security, a popular American institution and signature achievement of the New Deal era, aiming to replace a system of solidarity with one of individual responsibility and partial privatization. Returning to the time of the early 2000s, this article analyzes the rhetoric of the ownership society as a libertarian utopian social vision - a future, more perfect community the United States should aspire to grow into. It argues that the political discourse on Social Security propagated by the Bush administration relied on rhetorical strategies characterized by an engagement of temporalities. On the one hand, ownership discourse invoked the nation's past achievements and traditional values secured during the American Revolution and guaranteed in the nation's founding documents. On the other hand, the administration framed the alleged urgency of the reforms by making projections about the future and using these to raise questions about the present system of Social Security provision. In this way, earlier debates over Social Security reform provide a valuable perspective on the contemporary nexus of finance and temporality.