Technical Commissions

Technical Commission on Social Security Policy Analysis and Research

Technical Commissions

Technical Commission on Social Security Policy Analysis and Research

The Technical Commission on Social Security Policy Analysis and Research aims to assist ISSA members by analysing policy in different areas, assessing the social and economic impact of social security, and anticipating future changes that will influence the environment in which programmes operate and their ability to meet objectives.

Adequate, inclusive and broad-based social security is the bedrock of socially cohesive societies and productive economies. While social security is more important than ever, paradoxically the same factors that heighten the need for social security can also constrain the resources required to sustain and extend it. Such factors can be demographic developments, labour market changes, technological innovations, environment and climate challenges, social and economic uncertainties, geopolitical crisis, or other. In face of all this, social security systems must ensure financial sustainability, show resilience and adaptability, and devise solutions to stubborn challenges such as poverty, inequality and informality.

For social security institutions to effectively respond to emerging and long-standing challenges, they must be equipped with up-to-date knowledge about the constraints preventing effective delivery, as well as the drivers of success behind the policies, tools and strategies they employ. The Technical Commission on Social Security Policy Analysis and Research seeks to support institutions as they navigate the rapidly evolving evidence base on what works (and may not work) in social security, and, as importantly, what can be learned from experiences in different contexts that could be applied in others.

As both users and producers of data and knowledge, social security institutions often find themselves at a unique juncture between research, policy and practice. The evidence they generate and the expertise they cultivate within their own structures is essential for the successful implementation of social security and related social and economic policies. Therefore, in addition to analysing trends and their implications for social security, the Technical Commission supports ISSA members to understand how the knowledge they produce and acquire can be managed and leveraged for more effective policymaking and delivery.