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- Convenors:
-
Katharina Lenner
(University of Bath)
Asli Salihoglu (University of Oxford)
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- Discussants:
-
Neil Howard
(University of Bath)
Philip Proudfoot (British Institute Amman)
- Format:
- Roundtable
- Stream:
- Social protection, health, and inequality
Short Abstract:
This roundtable reflects on the intersections and disconnects between labour, social protection and livelihoods analysis from a variety of conceptual and empirical vantage points, and their significance of this for understanding and tackling crisis. It is organised as a fishbowl discussion.
Description:
Contemporary academic and policy discussions about the situation of precarious workers, and possibilities for improving their livelihoods, are marked by a relative disconnect between social protection perspectives, critical labour studies analyses, and critical livelihoods approaches. This roundtable discussion invites reflection on the overlaps and gaps in and between these 3 fields, and their consequences for understanding multiple dimensions of crisis that precarious workers are affected by, from different conceptual and empirical vantage points. It seeks to establish in which areas these gaps become visible and what can be done to overcome them conceptually and practically, to more effectively tackle the challenges that precarious workers across the globe face. The roundtable is organised as a fishbowl discussion, i.e. with an initial set of inputs, followed by an open invitation to all participants to replace these speakers and contribute their own experiences and insights as co-experts. Speakers / participants are welcome to reflect on specific geographic contexts, sectors, or (sets of) measures, or offer broader conceptual and/or methodological insights.
Accepted contribution:
Contribution short abstract:
This study analyzes social protection programs—like cash transfers and employment schemes—on precarious workers in LMICs, highlighting their limitations and advocating for an integrated approach combining social protection, labor rights, and sustainable livelihoods.
Contribution long abstract:
In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), precarious work remains a defining feature of the labor market, with workers often exposed to economic insecurity, limited access to social protections, and erosion of labor rights. This paper seeks to bridge the gap between these three critical areas, offering a comprehensive exploration of intersections and disconnects in the context of government initiatives aimed at enhancing social and livelihood protection for precarious workers in LMICs. Using meta-analysis, this paper examines the effectiveness of key social protection schemes—such as conditional cash transfers and employment programs—in reshaping the precarious work landscape.
The findings reveal significant variations in the effectiveness of these schemes. Conditional cash transfers have shown strong positive outcomes in improving household income, nutrition, and access to education, but their impact on formal labor market participation and the broader integration of workers into secure employment remains limited. Employment programs have been effective in providing temporary economic relief, especially in rural areas, but these interventions have had limited long-term impacts on structural employment shifts or labor rights protections for workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the inadequacies of these isolated interventions, amplifying the vulnerabilities of informal workers, particularly those in urban contexts, and highlighting the urgent need for a more integrated approach that combines social protection, labor rights, and livelihood initiatives. This paper contributes to both the theoretical development of these intersecting fields and the practical design of inclusive, effective policies that address the vulnerabilities of precarious workers in LMICs.