Social Security: A Global Perspective

Abstract

The concept of social security carries profound significance across the globe and is closely associated with human security and human dignity. It functions as an important instrument of social and economic justice. Almost all nations in the contemporary international system provide a range of social security benefits to their citizens, although the depth and breadth of these provisions vary widely. This paper examines social security from a global and comparative perspective. It traces the grounding of social security in international human-rights instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the standard-setting role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations. Drawing on a qualitative, descriptive-analytical and historical reading of secondary sources, the study compares the social security arrangements of selected developed and developing countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan, among others. The findings show that the focus of “security” has shifted from the protection of the state and its borders by military means towards the protection of individuals and their well-being in both national and international perspectives. Among contemporary arrangements, the Canadian social safety net is found to be of particular significance. Globally, social security operates as a mechanism of protection from chronic threats such as hunger, disease and repression, and from sudden and hurtful disruptions to everyday life, even though the majority of the world’s population still lacks adequate coverage.