Grassroots Social Security in Asia investigates the role of mutual associations in providing income protection to low-income people in Asia and in particular the region's developing countries. Historically, these associations have consisted of small groups of people with common interests who save regularly to support, maintain and supplement their incomes. Members make regular contributions to a communal fund which is used to provide income protection when they experience financial hardship.

This book is the first to comprehensively document the activities of mutual associations and their microinsurance programs in Asia where these programs are especially well developed. It provides a number of important case studies that provide detailed information about mutual associations in different parts of the region, covering South Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The case studies offer important insights into the potential of mutual associations to offer effective income protection and how their activities can contribute to the formulation of comprehensive and effective grassroots social security strategies in the developing world that make a tangible contribution to the goal of poverty eradication and the improvement of standards of living.

This book will be of interest to policy makers, academics and students in the fields of Asian studies, Social security studies and development studies.

Contents

Introduction Mitsuhiko Hosaka and James Midgley Part 1: The Issues 1. Understanding Mutual Aid James Midgley 2. Challenges to Mutual Aid: The Microinsurance Response James Midgley Part 2: Case Studies of Microinsurance in Asia 3. An Analysis of India’s Social Protection System for Low-income Populations Mariko Okamoto 4. Formalizing Grassroots Social Security: The Experience of CARD in the Philippines Jaime Aristotle B. Alip and Takayoshi Amenomori 5. Investment-based Grassroots Social Security: The Case of the Women’s Co-i Lanka Mitsuhiko Hosaka and Nandasiri Gamage 6. Social Security through Community Welfare Funds in Thailand Panthip Petchmark, Somsook Boonyabancha and Mitsuhiko Hosaka 7. Safety Net Measures for Mongolian Herders: Coping with Risks in a Transition Economy Mariko Okamoto 8. Grassroots Social Security in Indonesia: The Role of Islamic Associations Sirojudin and James Midgley Part 3: Policy Implications 9. Conclusion: Mutual Aid, Microinsurance and Social Security for All Mitsuhiko Hosaka and James Midgley

Author Bio

James Midgley is the Harry and Riva Specht Professor of Public Social Services at the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Mitsuhiko Hosaka is Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of International Social Development, Nihon Fukushi University in Japan.