Globalization and social policy in a development context regional responses

Globalization and social policy in a development context regional responses

Published Jan 2005

Author

N. Yeates

Publisher

Focus themes

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Integrating a globalisation perspective into social policy

This paper discusses how globalisation shapes the prospects for a socially inclusive, democratic and developmental social policy.

  • it emphasises the need for careful use of the globalisation concept and argues against the adoption of the 'strong globalisation' due to its economic determinism and an acceptance of immutable, external constraints on social policy and development.
  • it also highlights the importance of political agency in domestic and transnational spheres, and opens the analysis to various stages of analysis with multilpe outcomes and with various outcomes none of which are predetermined.
  • it examines the ways in which governments, businesses, labour organisations and NGOs in developed and developing countries are participating in various forms of transnational collaboration
  • it focuses on how collaboration at the regional level is being recast in a globalisation context, and where political struggles over welfare are being fought.

In conclusion, the author states that the main aims of existing regional formations are economic and there are major difficulties in extending their remit to include a social dimension, apart from safety net provision. However, the response from civil society organisations has been that social issues ought to be considered by emergent regional formations, and they are proceeding with their own form of social policy formation in opposition to neoliberal orthodoxy.

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