The role of community support for the rural aged during the transition This Research Report was written About CSP

Abstract

The Centre for Social Protection was established in 2006, to provide a global focus for research, policy analysis, and capacity building in social protection. Based at IDS, the Centre supports interaction between networks of equal partners, including researchers and policy-makers who work to mainstream social protection in development policy, and to build effective social protection systems throughout the world that are national, comprehensive, sustainable and equitable, and that improve the wellbeing of poor and vulnerable people. This study examines the potential for rural communities to generate and allocate resources for rural old age support in the context of decreasing family resources and inadequate state provision. In-depth interviews with elderly people, their families, community leaders and government officials of three villages respectively, located in three provinces, provide us with clear insights into existing local institutional arrangements for rural old age support and the role of both government and community in organising such programmes. They confirm that rural communities are able to generate and distribute resources for old age support, to offer community opportunities for social inclusion through fair flows of resources to promote social harmony and stability, and to accelerate economic growth. The findings of the study imply that there is a need for policymakers to link state efforts towards old age protection to rural community development, and to encourage grassroots efforts in old age support. CSP