State and the Imperative for Social Policy Reform in Africa

Daniel Béland is Director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and James McGill Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University (Montreal, Canada). A student of comparative fiscal and social policy, he has published more than 20 books and 220 articles in peer-reviewed journals.Rosina K. Foli is a Senior lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana. Her research interests include social policy, governance and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa and transnational policy processes. Recent publications include The Making of Anti-Poverty Policies in Ghana: Transnational Actors, Processes and Mechanisms (Palgrave).Privilege (Priva) Haang’andu is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, an agency of the Government of Canada. He also teaches at the Canada School of Public Service. His main research interest is the role of transnational policy actors in driving policy change in African institutions.

• 1. Introduction: Reconsidering Social Policy Reform in Africa.- 2. The Moral Politics of Need in Southern Africa.- 3. Automatic Stabilizers and Social Protection.- 4. The Need for Transformative and Equitable Health Policy.- 5. Persons with Disabilities and Social Policy.- 6. Navigating the Terrain of Education in Post-COVID-19 Era.- 7. The Role of Transnational Actors in African Social Policy.- 8. Gender and Social Policy in Africa.- 9. The Fate of Sub-Saharan Migrants and Refugees.- 10. The Politics of Socio-Economic Rights and Constitutionalism.- 11. Young People and Social Media for Social Change.- 12. Conclusion: The future of social policy reform in Sub-Saharan Africa.