Social

By 2030, nearly 350 million young people around the world will enter the global job market. Half will be in Africa. Economic growth will not be enough to ensure access to decent jobs for all of them. Governments must therefore adopt ambitious policies.

Émilie Gaillard has been working on the rights of future generations for 20 years. She believes this legal concept is an essential tool for bringing about the paradigm shifts required for the long-term preservation of the environment and populations.

In 2013, the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh shed light on the deplorable working conditions of the textile industry. For Nayla Ajaltouni, consumer mobilization has an impact on working conditions in developing countries.

Two billion people work in the informal economy, in circumstances that vary hugely. For many, moving into formal employment is a real challenge in the short term. In the long run, we need to ensure decent working conditions, says Philippe Marcadent.

While school enrolment rates are increasing around the world, young people are still among the most affected by unemployment. How can this be addressed? Véronique Sauvat puts forward some solutions to make it easier for young people to enter the labor market.

Gilles Dufrénot is a professor at Aix-Marseille School of Economics and the author of several books. He calls for a new social contract based on the redefinition of minimum needs by the many.

Many recent initiatives show that the Sustainable Development Goals won’t be met without the participation of the youth. But how could they participate, when so many young people across the world don’t have access to health, education or employment?

Rapid expansion of social protection around the world provokes a renewed debate around targeting versus universalism. The recent blog by Stephen Kidd, is calling into question poverty targeting, or determining eligibility to a benefit based on means test. Today’s debate is not about the principle...

One of the most highly charged debates in social security is whether it is preferable to offer schemes to everyone or target them only at the poor. Across both developed and developing countries, we find many examples of both approaches: for example, according to the ILO (2014), 36 countries...

In recent months, Brazil has been struck by large-scale social movements led by the middle classes. Latin American countries need to address major challenges in order to meet the demands of their populations, such as reducing inequalities in social protection systems. What are the challenges?...

Social protection allows people to live in dignity. This right, recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is far from being a reality for everyone. Only 27% of the world’s population benefits from adequate social protection. It is for this reason that in 2012 the Member States of...

Access to essential services (water, sanitation, waste, energy, mobility) for all is a major challenge for economic and social development in developing countries. Young people, who come with new ideas, expertise and energy, but who are also the leaders of tomorrow, have a crucial role to play....