Author: Tony Roberts, Digital Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies

If you have ever received financial support from the state because you were unable to work due to pregnancy, disability, sickness or old age, you’ve benefited from what is known as social protection. Social protection is a basic human right. It’s fundamental to ensuring health and dignity. It’s also seen as increasingly important for poverty alleviation and social development around the world. Social protection systems are often funded by deducting contributions from workers’ pay or general taxation to build an insurance fund that individuals can draw upon when they’re unable to work. In 2010, only five African countries – Ethiopia,…