On
the 1st and 2nd of October HelpAge International and the
Church of Sweden held a conference on social protection and social pensions. It
provided an opportunity for those interested in social protection, in Sweden
and internationally, to share experiences and engage in debate. Here Alfhild
Petren from PRO Global reflects on some of the presentations, discussions and
messages from the conference. You can watch videos from the conference here.
In 1913 the Swedish government decided to
provide a small pension to every Swede when they turned 65. It took another
three decades to fully develop a sustainable pension scheme that covered most
income losses and provided an adequate standard of living. The conference
started with a presentation on the development of this Nordic model of
universal pensions. It offered a rich discussion on social protection today and
the ways forward. Experts attended from academia, government, international
agencies and NGOs, with experiences from all over the world.
Key lessons
I was reminded that building a pension
system is a complex task and takes time. Any system has to build on political compromises.
It has to adapt to new circumstances over time, like building a cathedral – it
never gets finished.
Social protection, being a somewhat blurred
concept, is one element of social policy, which relates to production and
growth, reproduction, redistribution of resources and power and nation building.
Thus social protection refers to most policy areas and should not be regarded
as a poverty alleviation issue in the realm of development policy.
Most speakers stressed social protection
should be universal in outcome, although maybe not in design. A rights-based approach
is essential in terms of binding obligations and state accountability,
non-discrimination and inclusion and people’s participation. There are various models of fulfilling these
obligations; both through general schemes and through targeted interventions aimed
at poor groups or disadvantaged individuals.
However, pro- poor schemes seem inferior as
they exclude the majority of poor people. The fact that “poverty is a moving
target” was emphasised; people move in and out of poverty over time. This means many more
people may be poor during certain periods and are therefore not covered by
poverty targeted pension schemes. Issues around how to target also exists, as
international poverty lines may not be the best measure. In addition to this
poverty targeted schemes may not get broad-based political support, which can
negatively impact on the poor.
Two prevalent discourses were highlighted: the pro-poor neoliberal paradigm referred to
as the Anglo Saxon model or “Tea party social security” and the inclusive
social security paradigm referred to as the Nordic model. Since international
development cooperation is usually influenced by Anglo Saxon thinking it was
felt to be important to highlight, and push, the Nordic model.
The current situation
What about the situation on the ground today
then? Pension schemes have been introduced in most countries in America,
Europe, Middle East, Asia and the Pacifics, though often limited, fragmented
and institutionally weak. Social protection in Sub-Saharan Africa is also making
headway. Currently, policy and legislation are being put in place, pilots are
being scaled up and increasingly public funds are being allocated. Both civil
society organisations and development agencies are increasingly supportive of
pensions. However, there was a clear
message to donors “stop experimenting,” in response to the jungle of pilot schemes
that have evolved. Funding may be required to research, facilitate and institutionalise;
but not to fund pension systems. To me it seems quite encouraging that
governments have initiated and funded their pension schemes mainly without
outside donors involved.
Recommendations
Though the Conference was not meant to be conclusive
a couple of recommendations emerged:
- A rights-based approach to social protection and pensions is
essential, although program design may vary. - International policy is now in place. Share and push for the ILO Recommendations
on a Social Protection Floor. - It is time to focus on implementation and practice.
- Donors should focus on research, facilitation and institutionalisation
of pension schemes
Thus, I got some guidance on what to focus
on when my organisation pushes for the realisation of old people’s right to an adequate
standard of living worldwide. I also got an understanding of the challenges
facing organisations trying to advance
the social protection agenda and influence key actors. I noticed that old
people’s pensions are currently not highly visible on that agenda. Finally, I
got to know a number of experts and committed people, not least from HelpAge
International.
About the Author
Alfhild Petren is a former lawyer retired
from a career in international development co-operation and human rights, today
an activist and board member of PRO Global – pensioners without boarders, a
branch of the major association of pensioners in Sweden, which is soon to become an
affiliate of Help Age International.