What is it about?
This article examines automatic stabilizers as social protection tools in Africa during COVID-19. It addresses knowledge gaps by assessing their effectiveness across Sub-Saharan Africa to inform stronger future policies to crisis response amidst structural challenges.
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Why is it important?
This is important because it helps explain how countries can protect people and stabilize their economies during crises without relying only on slow, emergency responses. In Africa, where resources are limited and shocks like pandemics hit vulnerable groups hardest, effective automatic stabilizers can make a real difference. Understanding what works—and what doesn’t—helps governments design stronger social protection systems that respond quickly when incomes fall. It also supports better planning for future crises, reducing inequality, economic instability, and social hardship while making policy responses more efficient and sustainable.
Perspectives
Because crises don’t wait—and policy responses often do. Studying this shows whether built-in support systems can step in fast enough to protect people when shocks hit. In the African context, where many households are vulnerable and government capacity can be stretched, knowing why and how automatic stabilizers matter helps leaders move from reactive, ad-hoc solutions to smarter, more reliable protection that saves livelihoods and stabilizes economies before damage spreads.
Dr Kafui Tsekpo
African Leadership Centre
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Automatic Stabilizers and Social Protection, November 2025, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-02432-9_3.
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