SPACE (2021) Adaptive social protection and decentralisation: a conceptual framework

Authored by Andrew Wyatt and Valentina Barca, this paper provides an entry point for discussion of -and practical engagement with- the potential for linking the Adaptive Social Protection and Decentralisation agendas, in the first instance by technicians and practitioners within the German Development Cooperation.

According to this study, the need to clarify the linkages and areas of convergence between adaptive social protection and decentralisation is evident for two key reasons:

• First, these are two areas of strategic priority for German Development Cooperation. For example, while decentralisation is not specifically mentioned in the BMZ 2030 Reform Strategy, the core areas of BMZ intervention linked to SDG 16 (the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies) that are cited in this strategy include democracy, local authority structures and social protection. Moreover, a related BMZ document, A Sustainable Path to the Future: The 2030 Implementation Initiative, sees decentralisation and municipal development as central to the implementation of initiatives to achieve the SDGs.
• Second, more broadly, understanding the institutional underpinning for successful adaptive social protection will be crucial to ensuring outcomes that guarantee increased ownership, responsiveness, equity, coordination, value for money and resourcing.

The paper endeavours to establish how decentralisation, localisation, and social protection – most specifically adaptive social protection – relate to each other conceptually. Building on that foundation, it seeks to outline a practical approach that might assist practitioners in engaging meaningfully with each other, and in dialogue with partner governments at different levels, about the scope for linking these agendas.