Redefining the Social Policy Discourse

This volume provides a comprehensive examination of social policy approaches across the African continent, critically engaging with both theoretical foundations and practical implementations. It brings together diverse perspectives that challenge conventional social policy paradigms while proposing contextually appropriate alternatives rooted in African realities and epistemologies. The volume looks at social policy from multiple dimensions: from theoretical debates and historical trajectories to sectoral innovations and emerging challenges. In so doing, it showcases transformative pathways for inclusive development through effective policies and practical implementation. The volume discusses both persistent structural constraints and innovative opportunities for transformation, resilience, and sustainability in social provisioning. Through case studies spanning healthcare, education, food security, resource governance, land reform, informal economies, and youth development, it highlights how locally grounded approaches can deliver meaningful outcomes despite significant constraints. It advances the Transformative Social Policy (TSP) framework as a paradigm that views social policy as a multidimensional instrument for societal transformation through production enhancement, social protection, redistribution, reproduction, and social cohesion functions. It provides foundational perspectives into the underpinnings of Africa's social policy landscape, the lingering impact of colonial legacies, and opportunities for transformative change that centres African agency and knowledge systems. This volume is of interest to researchers, social policy scholars, development practitioners, civil society organisations, and policymakers committed to reimagining and implementing more effective, equitable, and contextually appropriate social policy solutions across the African continent.