Chair: Devah Pager, Sociology and Public Policy, Harvard University
9:15 a.m.
Robert Walker, Professor of Social Policy, Oxford University, UK
Shame, stigma and the take-up of social assistance: Insights from rural China
Discussant: William P. Alford, Harvard Law School, Harvard University
Stigma is one of the reasons for low take-up of social assistance benefits, deterring participation in anti-poverty programs despite financial need and social rights.China is an apparent deviant case, with rapidly falling poverty and high up-take of Dibao, the world’s largest social assistance scheme.Given the poor targeting and considerable local discretion in administering the program, recipients must balance two stigmas, of poverty but also abuse of the system.There are dangers of implementing social assistance without supportive political, legal and cultural infrastructures.
10:00 a.m.
Nora E. Groce, Professor & Director, Leonard Cheshire Disability & Inclusive Development Centre, University College London, UK
Persons with Disability: At risk and too often overlooked
Discussant: Kathryn Sikkink, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University
Until the new Sustainable Development Goals of the
United Nations, SDGs, inclusion and anti-poverty policies neglected the
cumulative disadvantages of people with disabilities, who were treated under a
medical model. Under the new SDG resolutions, they are now mentioned throughout
the international call to ‘leave no one behind.’ This paper reports on research
that establishes clearer links among disability, social inclusion and poverty,
drawing upon three research projects in Africa, such as the life trajectories
of persons with disabilities who beg for their living.
10:45 a.m.
Kim Samuel, Professor of Practice, Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University, Canada
Social connectedness and poverty eradication: A South African perspective
Discussant: Sue J. Goldie, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
Social isolation is a deprivation of
social connectedness intricately linked to the causes and consequences of both
social exclusion and poverty. This paper presents case studies on this
neglected dimension of multidimensional poverty analysis, drawn from the Social
Connectedness Programme in South Africa. It illustrates mechanisms for
overcoming exclusionary relations affecting children and youth, and shows how
local support of social relationships are linked to social-economic empowerment
by enabling resource mobilisation and enhancing the employability and
well-being of young people.
