Academic Construct of Social Welfare Services and Social Safety Net

Abstract

Interest in safety nets and social protection is developing around the globe manifold. Ways of consolidating them are called for in high-level statements, researched in academic articles, and implemented by practitioners. Such progresses are reassuring and ways to touch on the most sensitive human need and long-standing humanitarian and developmental challenges. However, the concept remains confounded, and there is compelling need to clarify several issues related to social safety. Poverty is one of the oldest monetary concerns in the history of human civilization that leads to host of socioeconomic problems. Generally, the developing countries but more specifically the under developed countries are predominantly suffering from this issue. The experience of developing countries reveals that lack of capital is not the main reason of slow development process instead such countries are fundamentally suffering from; absence of good governance, non-continuation of long run productive and developmental projects, political instability, corruption and inability of politicians etc, while underdeveloped countries have huge problems of insufficiency of resources and lack of driving programmes for poverty alleviation. In such situations, the Social Safety Net caters for most under privileged and needy people to sustain them on a respectable living standard and enable them to contribute as important social members of community and society as a whole. The scholars use the term Social Safety Net such that it encompasses private and public mechanisms that assist individuals in maintaining a minimum level of consumption. Examples of private Social Safety Nets include transfers from family members, friends, neighbors and community members and institutions, including NGOs, while those of public Social Safety Nets refer to the support which individuals can hope for from the government, through programs which generate assets or employment, transfer income, or provide basic social services, as a means of helping affected individuals from falling below the designated minimum standard of living. Social protection is not just a social but an economic and security need, and should be seen as a measure to promote inclusive human development and collective sense of security. This article will describe the academic construct of social safety net, criteria for efficient social safety net and how it can optimally benefit the needy people This is academic discourse, therefore views expressed are author’s own.