Drawing on international case studies from emerging economies and developing countries including South Africa, India, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, Indonesia, China and Russia, this book examines the rise, nature and effectiveness of recent developments in social policy in the Global South.

By analysing these new emerging trends, the book aims to understand how they can contribute to meaningful change and whether they could offer alternative solutions to the social, economic and environmental policy challenges facing low-income countries within a contemporary global context.

It pays particular attention to reforms and innovations relating to the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the move away from a welfare state, towards a 'welfare multitude', in which new actors, such as civil society organisations, play an increasingly important role in social policy.

Ilcheong Yi is Senior Research Coordinator at United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).

Alexandra Kaasch is Professor in German and Transnational Social Policy at Bielefeld University.

Kelly Stetter is Technical Officer in Social Security at the International Social Security Association (ISSA).