Social Protection and State–Society Relations in Environments of Low and Uneven State Capacity

Abstract

Grounded in social-contractual ideas about relationships between the governed and those who govern, the provision of social benefits to citizens has historically been predicated on expectations of acquiescence to state authority. However, the rapid expansion of noncontributory social assistance in sub-Saharan Africa, often supported by global donors through technical assistance programs, raises myriad questions about the relationship between social protection and the social contract in fragile and low-capacity contexts. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, but drawing on the theoretical and empirical literature on social protection from around the world, this review parses out the redistributive, contractual, and reconstitutive effects of social protection programming on citizen–state relations. We argue that program features—including targeting, conditionality, accountability mechanisms, bureaucratic reach, and the nature and visibility of state–nonstate partnerships—interact dialectically with existing state–society relationships to engender different social contract outcomes for differently situated populations.

Social protection, community participation and state‐citizen relations: Evidence from a cash transfer program in south‐central Somalia

“…This is in line with Evans et al (2019), who find that though a locally‐managed transfer program in Tanzania did not increase participation in community development projects, it did significantly increase trust in elected leaders and improve perceptions of government's responsiveness and leaders' honesty. This reinforces that we cannot expect ‘a linear exchange relationship between the distribution of benefits and citizens' delegation of authority’, but rather that ‘program outcomes and state‐society relations shape one another in sometimes unexpected ways’ (Alik‐Lagrange et al, 2021, 153). In particular, the visibility of the state ‘in official program discourse and local narratives may be consequential for whether citizens perceive welfare benefits as part of their rights as citizens or simply as a form of externally provided aid’ (Alik‐Lagrange et al, 2021, 166; see also Kabeer, 2014; Plagerson et al, 2012; Sabates‐Wheeler et al, 2015).…”

“…This reinforces that we cannot expect ‘a linear exchange relationship between the distribution of benefits and citizens' delegation of authority’, but rather that ‘program outcomes and state‐society relations shape one another in sometimes unexpected ways’ (Alik‐Lagrange et al, 2021, 153). In particular, the visibility of the state ‘in official program discourse and local narratives may be consequential for whether citizens perceive welfare benefits as part of their rights as citizens or simply as a form of externally provided aid’ (Alik‐Lagrange et al, 2021, 166; see also Kabeer, 2014; Plagerson et al, 2012; Sabates‐Wheeler et al, 2015). In this context, as described above, though externally funded, the program centred the government in official program materials, while the cash transfers were channelled to citizens through the government.…”

“…More speculatively, our findings suggest that it may be possible for an externally‐funded intervention to have positive spill‐over effects on the state and local governance actors, with donors complementing and strengthening rather than replacing or undermining state authority (Brass, 2016; Winters et al, 2018). Whether a social protection intervention may be able to, in the long‐run, strengthen state‐citizen relations and even reshape the social contract in fragile contexts (see e.g., Alik‐Lagrange et al, 2021), with the potential to spur a virtuous cycle of governance (Blair & Winters, 2020; Schmelzle & Stollenwerk, 2018), remains an important research question. Critically, however, it may depend on the role of the state in administering the program.…”

The Politics of Donor and Government Approaches to Social Protection and Humanitarian Policies for Assistance During Crises

“…The literature on the broader politics of social protection suggests that the nature of domestic politicsincluding how national political leaders relate with transnational policy actors and networks -determines the adoption and timing of social protection programmes as well as the specific type of programming that is pursued and the degree to which these are expanded. So while the development of social protection policies in some contexts may be donor driven, how social assistance is delivered in practice depends on nationaland local-level politics (Alik-Lagrange et al 2021;Lind 2021;Rudra 2015). However, the evidence base is patchier concerning the mechanisms through which this works, including insights into how social assistance relates to social contracts and taxation, particularly in situations of conflict and protracted crises.…”

Zakat, Non-State Welfare Provision and Redistribution in Times of Crisis: Evidence from the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…depending on the nature of state capacity and pre-existing state-society relations(Alik- Lagrange et al 2021; Lavers 2022). More research is needed into these dynamics.…”