Taxation, Social Protection Systems and Social Cohesion

It is often argued that social protection can achieve objectives beyond alleviation of poverty and food insecurity. One of them is the promotion of social cohesion. While there is a literature focusing on the theoretical linkages between social protection and social cohesion – though mainly concerned with high-income countries - empirical evidence of this relationship is lacking. This session discusses the effects of social protection on the different attributes of social cohesion in low- and middle-income countries.

Session I: Social Protection for Social Cohesion? Assessing the Potential and Actual Impacts (11:00 – 12:30)

Speakers:
•    Markus Loewe (DIE) and Tina Zintl (DIE): Donor-sponsored Cash-for-Work Programmes and Social Cohesion in Jordan: Issues of Ownership and Trust
•    Francesca Bastagli (Overseas Development Institute): Cash Transfers to Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Promoting Social Cohesion?
•    Francesco Burchi (DIE) and Federico Roscioli (Roma Tre University): Can Integrated Social Protection Programmes affect Social Cohesion? Mixed-Methods Evidence from Malawi

Session II: The Effects of COVID-19 on the Informal Sector: How Dangerous is it for Social Cohesion? (15:00 – 16:30)

Speakers:
•    Vanessa van Boogaard (International Centre for Tax and Development) & Max Gallien (University of Sussex): The Politics of Connection and Disconnection During a Global Pandemic
•    Renate Hartwig (GIGA Institute and University Goettingen): When the Going gets Tough: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Informal Entrepreneurs in Uganda [topic tbc]
•    Christoph Strupat (DIE): Be Quick or Be Dead: Consequences for the Informal Sector of the COVID-19 Crisis in Cote d’Ivoire [topic tbc]