Conclusion: synthesis and a way forward for scholarship, policy and practice

This chapter reviews the conceptual and policy discussions presented in this book to highlight the implications for the future development of scholarship on social policy issues in MENA as well as the broader policy and practice issues that arise for national and international decision-makers working in this field. The chapter synthesizes the major social policy developments in MENA over the last decade, as the discourse of social protection has developed an increasingly prominent position across all developing world regions. The chapter shows that the attention given to the idea of universalism in this book helps to ascertain the extent to which both coverage and level of adequacy of social protection benefits in MENA have changed in the last decade. In this respect, the book joins the debate in other developing regions, most notably Latin America and Africa, in assessing the changing nature of the social welfare provisioning by state and non-state actors in low- and middle-income countries.