State Building and Social Policies in Developing Countries: The Political Economy of Development

Description

This book moves away from the orthodox neoliberal paradigm to suggest a new framework linking social policy with citizenship and transformation. The interjection of nation building, public society and public provisioning to the study of education, healthcare and employment caters to the needs of citizens equitably. By combining and coagulating these three broad arenas of politico-economic discussion, this book takes a new approach to the analysis of social policymaking in developing countries to indicate the drivers and triggers of transformation. It makes comprehensive, thorough critical comparisons between the trajectories of developed and developing countries, finds out the gaps in transformation and suggests drivers for changes. The intentions of social policymaking, as proposed in the book, are to curb the growing inequalities in the forms of class, power and marginalisation. The chapters on education focus on provisioning of public goods for skills formation, innovation and citizenship education. The sections on healthcare centre on universal health care as opposed to universal health coverage by analysing access, healthcare-seeking behaviour, price setting, market provisioning etc. For the chapters on employment, propositions are posited regarding the expansion of productive capacity, factor mobility and social security to ensure work for all. Besides theorising education, healthcare and employment based on public provisioning by the people’s state, underwritten by a public society, the book provides feasible solutions through data sourced from all major international organisations. In addition, it recognises the unique postcolonial struggles and aspirations of the developing countries, and accordingly resorts to defining the normative principles, reflecting nuances, subtleties and peculiarities. This book is a continuation of the author's Fiscal and Monetary Policies in Developing Countries: State, Citizenship and Transformation (Routledge) and will draw the attention of scholars and researchers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of, and pragmatic solutions to, social policies that address the transformational pathways of developing countries, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Abbreviations Preface and Acknowledgements Part I Introduction 1 State and Social Policies in Developing Countries Introduction Public Society Public Goods Trends in Education, Healthcare and Employment Summary References 2 Social Policy, Public Society and Public Provisioning in Developing Countries Introduction Public Society and Public Goods A Review A Framework Components Summary References Part II Education 3 Discourses on Investment in Human Capabilities Introduction A Review A Framework Summary References 4 Education: Provisioning, Skill Formation and Citizenship Introduction Public Good and Market Provisioning Skills Formation and Employment Innovation and Education Citizenship Education and Citizen State Summary References 5 Institutions and Transformational Pathways for Education in Developing Countries Introduction Political Settlement and Human Sociality Education and Government Expenditure: A Simulation Impact of COVID-19 Policy Roadmap Summary References Part III Healthcare 6 Debates on Provisioning of Healthcare in Developing Countries Introduction A Review Stylised Facts A Framework Summary References 7 Universal Health Care: Provisioning and Accessibility Introduction Socially Embedded Values Firms and Price Setting Market Provisioning and Universal Access Country Spotlight: Accessibility Barriers in Bangladesh Health Expenditure and Economic Life Summary References 8 Institutions and Transformation of Healthcare in Developing Countries Introduction Stability and Healthcare Provision Transformability and Healthcare Sustainability and Health Shocks Policy Roadmap Summary References Part IV Employment and Social Security 9 Disquisitions on Employment and Social Security Introduction A Review A Framework Summary References 10 Work for All: Skills, Productivity and Wages Introduction Productive Capacity and Skills Formation Factor Mobility, Wages and Inequality Productivity and Labour Extraction Function Spotlight: Employment Trends in Bangladesh Summary References 11 Universal Social Security in Developing Countries Introduction A Framework Social Security for All Social Security Spending Summary References 12 Institutions and Transformation for Universal Employment and Social Security in Developing Countries Introduction Stability Conditions Transformability Conditions Sustainability Conditions Policy Roadmap Summary References Part V Conclusions 13 Social Policy Agenda for Developing Countries Index