This is the second volume in the Consortium Graduate School's series Studies in Caribbean Public Policy and represents the results of a programme of training in multidisciplinary policy-oriented research provided to graduate professionals from Caribbean countries through the MSc Development Studies degree. The volume focuses on selected issues and problems in social policy. Each of the seven papers presented here is a case study which offers fresh insights or radical and new interpretations of persistent problems in the region. The first three papers treat the society's most vulnerable or marginal social groups: youths, women and the elderly. Other areas of focus are education, crime and policing, rural to urban migration and labour relations.

In recent years international labour migrations and its social consequences have become one of the key issues on the international agenda. Changing image of the economic mobility strongly affected domestic policies, activities of international organizations and international law. The growing dynamic of economic migration and the transformation of this process becoming a source of challenges for the various areas of international law including international labour law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The book discusses the most important documents concerning regulation of migration and international protection of migrant workers. The author devotes attention to the practical activities of all intergovernmental organizations (UN, ILO, UNHCR, EU, COE, OSCE, OAS) dealing with the issue of international migration. A significant part of the book is focused on the legal context of currently observed problems such as undocumented migration, human trafficking, socio-economic rights of migrants, deportation, employment of migrants, access to health care institutions, the issue of asylum and the rights of specific categories of economic migrants. Considerations presented in this book are based on in-depth analysis of more than hundred international treaties and documents focused on international migrations. The book presents the most important international initiatives concerning protection of economic migrants between 1919 and 2018.

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

Social Policy in a Global Society: Parallels and lessons from the Canada-Latin America experience

This book highlights some of the main areas of debate around the subject of agricultural policy in Eastern Africa. Its major aim is to introduce the reader to different issues of economic and social change arising from agricultural development and to provide an understanding of some of the major difficulties faced by African countries in pursuing an agricultural policy. Agricultural policy is analyzed by creating a contextual framework in light of the major policy documents of the World Bank to formulate an understanding of the developmental issues pertaining to agriculture. This is not meant to be a comprehensive study of agricultural policy but a mode of analysis in which broad sector agricultural policies can be viewed as a potentially active agent of social change and development.

Relationships between social policy and human development are the subject of much research and theorizing. The literature in this area, however, examines these issues strictly within national contexts. What influence will international agendas such as NAFTA, the World Summit for Social Development, and Habitat II have? Transnational Social Policies specifically addresses the worldwide trend for national policies on human and social development to be increasingly influenced by agendas that are international, or "transnational," in nature. In doing so, the book examines the underlying international developmental, ethical, economic, and political issues shaping national policies in health, education, and employment in the developing world. This book's focus on the "transnational" character of the social policy debate makes it a truly unique and original contribution to the literature. It will appeal to the academic community, worldwide, in international development, public policy and administration, and social work; policymakers, researchers, and practitioners in the field of public (social) policy; and the international community of individuals and organizations working in international social development.

The objective of this paper is to present some early experiences of poverty and social impact analysis (PSIA) from the PRGF-supported programs in the African Department. The paper illustrates that many staff country reports have taken a first step toward PSIA by making more explicit the links between poverty and policies. Various examples highlight that even though relationships can be complex and analysis, as a result, may not be definitive, it is possible to assess some of the potential poverty effects even in countries with limited data, and therefore contribute to a more informed policy debate and design. The paper concludes that PSIA can help design policies that are more pro-poor, better define appropriate compensatory and complementary measures where appropriate, and support country ownership of reforms by promoting a public debate on trade-offs between policy choices. In light of this, the paper proposes that PRGF policy advice would benefit from more systematic PSIA and that staff country reports could report more on the potential policy trade-offs and poverty outcomes based on PSIA.

A timely examination of social policy through a social constructivist and economic lens, Social Policy and Social Change illuminates the root causes of common social problems and how policy has attempted to ameliorate them. In so doing, the book focuses on how social policies in the United States can be transformed to promote social justice for all groups. The book uniquely offers both an historical analysis of social problems and social policies, and an economic analysis of how capitalism and the market economy have contributed to social problems and impacted social policies. The book goes beyond the U.S. borders to examine the impact of globalization in the United States and in the Global South. It considers the meaning and impact of the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States and explores the policy solutions his administration has proposed to deal with the economic recession of 2008-2009. The book also discusses social workers as agents of social change and advocates of social and economic justice. It examines five key realms: Poverty in families and the welfare system, poverty among the elderly and social security, child maltreatment and child welfare policy, health and mental health policy, and housing policy. Social Policy and Social Change is a primary text for social policy/social welfare policy courses in MSW programs and possibly some higher level BSW programs. It will be supplemented with a comprehensive ancillary program, including a test bank, instructor's manual, and student website.

A large percentage of workers and firms operate in the informal economy, outside the line of sight of governments in emerging market and developing economies. This may hold back the recovery in these economies from the deep recessions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic--unless governments adopt a broad set of policies to address the challenges of widespread informality. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the extent of informality and its implications for a durable economic recovery and for long-term development. It finds that pervasive informality is associated with significantly weaker economic outcomes--including lower government resources to combat recessions, lower per capita incomes, greater poverty, less financial development, and weaker investment and productivity.