Technological transition

A Slippery Slope : The Opportunities and Risks of Digital Approaches and Technology in Social Protection Systems

Submitted by pmassetti on
worldbank.org (31.01.2025) Advances in technology have the potential to enhance social protection services delivery but come with risks, such as data privacy concerns, exclusion, and biases. To use digital technologies effectively, strong frameworks, infrastructure, and capacity are essential. Without these, technology may inadvertently harm rather than benefit the intended populations. Technology can improve access, outreach, training, monitoring, and secure payments, among others, but risks must be managed by clearly defining roles and responsibilities among stakeholders.
Global challenges
Topics
Technological transition
Document Type

Artificial intelligence in public health: promises, challenges, and an agenda for policy makers and public health institutions

Submitted by pmassetti on
The Lancet Public Health (23.03.2025) Artificial intelligence (AI) can rapidly analyse large and complex datasets, extract tailored recommendations, support decision making, and improve the efficiency of many tasks that involve the processing of data, text, or images. As such, AI has the potential to revolutionise public health practice and research, but accompanying challenges need to be addressed. AI can be used to support public health surveillance, epidemiological research, communication, the allocation of resources, and other forms of decision making.
Global challenges
Topics
Artificial intelligence
Document Type

Digitalisation in Social Protection: Lessons from Azerbaijan

Submitted by pmassetti on
Development Pathways (11.02.2025) The global shift towards digitalisation is revolutionising social protection information systems, including those in low- and middle-income countries. Gone are the days of inefficient paper-based processes: digital technologies are now indispensable for enhancing efficiency, minimising errors, and enabling data-driven decision-making. Emerging technologies like generative AI are accelerating this transformation. Azerbaijan is leading the way among middle-income countries with its exemplary digitalisation initiatives in social protection.
Regions / Country
azerbaijan
Global challenges
Topics
E-services
Technological transition
Document Type

Artificial Intelligence and Social Protection: a tool for enhanced efficiency or for exclusion?

Submitted by pmassetti on
socialprotection.org (15.01.2025) Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undergone rapid advancements in recent times in terms of computational power and general usage of algorithms across multiple areas, such as healthcare diagnosis, fraud detection and public service delivery. As we will see in this post, usage of AI, particularly algorithms, is not novel in public policy or in social protection and tends to increase (Benoit 2024). The wider acceptance of AI and general utilization of algorithms in public policy serves as the main point of contention.
Global challenges
Topics
Artificial intelligence
Document Type

What Does a Good Digital Welfare State Look Like?

Submitted by pmassetti on
Institute of Development Studies (17.12.2024) The introduction of ‘digital-by-default’ welfare and social protection systems in the UK and beyond has delivered efficiencies and cost savings for governments and can be convenient for recipients. But, given the rapid pace of change, we need to understand the ethical, social, and political implications of digital welfare from the perspectives of the poorest and most marginalised members of our societies.
Regions / Country
united kingdom
Global challenges
Topics
E-services
Document Type

Policy Brief: Advancing Digital Social Protection in Africa through Inclusion and Data Protection

Submitted by pmassetti on
African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (Dec 2024) This brief, Advancing Digital Social Protection in Africa through Inclusion and Data Protection, explores strategies to develop inclusive and secure digital social protection (DSP) systems across Africa. DSP systems, which leverage digital tools to deliver social services, present transformative opportunities to address the needs of marginalized populations, including women, informal workers, youth, and migrants.
Regions / Country
Africa
Global challenges
Topics
Information and communication technology
Document Type

Modernising Access to Social Protection: Strategies, Technologies and Data Advances in OECD Countries

Submitted by pmassetti on
oecd.org (28.05.2024) Despite having advanced social protection systems, OECD countries still face challenges in identifying, enrolling, and providing benefits and services to all those in need. Even when programmes are well-designed and adequately funded, cumbersome enrolment processes and challenges in service and benefit delivery can be an obstacle to the full take-up of social programmes. Advances in digital technologies and data can go a long way towards making social protection more accessible and effective.
Global challenges
Topics
E-services
Service delivery
Document Type

EU: Study on poverty and income inequality in the context of the digital transformation

Submitted by pmassetti on

ceps.eu (13.05.2024) As European labour markets become increasingly digitalised, concerns about inequality and poverty are increasing. This study, completed for the European Commission, seeks to investigate these concerns further. Part A focuses on how prepared EU Member States are to manage the digital transformation in a socially fair manner. It develops 27 country fiches assessing the current and future prospects of each EU Member State.

Regions / Country
Europe
Global challenges
Topics
Information and communication technology
Digital inclusion
Service quality
Document Type

Implementation Guide – Good Practices For Ensuring Data Protection And Privacy In Social Protection Systems

Submitted by pmassetti on

SPIAC-B (2024) This Implementation Guide is designed for professionals involved in developing, implementing, and expanding social protection systems, particularly non-contributory schemes, or 'social assistance'. Targeted at national and local government partners, policymakers, social protection authorities, programme managers, social workers, civil society organizations, donors, and the private sector, the guide is also valuable for development and humanitarian agency staff supporting these efforts.

Global challenges
Topics
Information and communication technology
Data management
Document Type

Extending social protection during times of crises: The data revolution

Submitted by pmassetti on

capacity4dev.europa.eu (28.02.2024) In examining data for 106 countries from the 1980s onwards, it transpires that social protection is the most countercyclical type of public expenditure and that social assistance spending has typically been more responsive during economic contractions.

Global challenges
Topics
Technological transition
Extension of coverage
Document Type