The Politics of Social Protection: Is it really the Citizens vs. the Vulnerables?: Recent Episodes
Cambridge University
Convenor
Nabila Idris (University of Cambridge)
Summary
Despite being seeming political allies, there appears to be a fundamental tension between the proponents of increased migration and the proponents of a stronger welfare state. It arises due to the conundrum of eligibility: is eligibility for scarce state assistance mediated by citizenship or vulnerability? Regimes have oscillated between these positions, sometimes at the cost of their ideological integrity.
The practical implications of this conundrum today play out not just in the global North, although the recent migration crisis in Europe has thrown it in stark relief. The tension is also apparent in the global South where aid funding in countries like Uganda and Bangladesh is accused—at least in the popular imagination—of getting split between disadvantaged citizens and vulnerable refugees.
This one-day conference brings together students, academics and practitioners from both the global North and South in an attempt to tease out the politics of social protection. Is it really a ‘turf war’ between the citizens and the vulnerables? Or should we more critically interrogate the perception of scarcity itself? What political processes actually shape these decisions on the ground?
Zina Nimeh, Tamara A. Kool, Francesco Iacoella and Alexander Hunns (Maastricht University/UNU-MERIT)
'The Puzzle of Rights, Moral Obligations and Design: A Social Protection Framework for Protracted Refugees'
Mohammed Ibrahim (University of Manchester)
'Do different types of social protection programmes shape citizenship and state capacity differently? Insights from Ghana'
Gbenga A. Shadare (University of Sheffield)
'The role of citizens’ perspectives in the transformation of social transfer programmes - examples of Nigeria'
Ilene van Brouwershaven (Maastricht University/UNU-MERIT)
'Finding a helping hand in a revolving door regime: A qualitative case-study about social protection for low-skilled foreign workers in Singapore'
Semanur Pekkendir (TRT World Research Centre)
‘"Ansar and Muhajirun" as a discursive device to shape public perception towards Syrian refugees'
Jad Moawad (University of Lausanne)
'A New Wave of Welfare Chauvinism? How Rising Immigration and Unemployment Level Affect Support for Distributing Welfare to Immigrants in Europe'
Albert van Wijngaarden (Novosibirsk State University)
'Speaking about refugee eligibility to scarce means in Bangladesh: From unwanted others, to suffering fellow human beings'
Toby Parsloe (University of Cambridge)
'The politics of refugee shelter placement and development in Berlin'
Samuel Hickey (University of Manchester)
‘From social contracts to political settlements? Getting real about the politics of social protection'