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Contributions from
the Column
Books and Media
Trade policy
Going to battle for social security
The vain search for project reality
Culture and tradition: not an obstacle, but a development factor
03/2003
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Going to battle for social security
OECD: Towards Asia's Social Sustainable Development. The Role of Social Protection. Paris, OECD 2002, 436 pp., € 60.00, ISBN 9264196838
The Asian crisis of 1997 enlivened the debate on the need for social security. The OECD Development Centre in 1999 and 2001 twice brought together experts from Asia and OECD countries to compare notes; this book is the result. The articles examine the social systems of individual countries, various old age pension models, and the role of international institutions in social security. Several authors emphasise that in Asia the social security systems offer little protection during serious economic crises because they still rest largely on family solidarity. But, the book's message is, effective social security promotes not only social peace but also economic growth. Therefore in Asia more public funds should be spent on it. Before a stable social safety net has been woven, the state must alleviate need in times of crisis by ad hoc measures, such as subsidies for basic food.
Bernd Ludermann
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