INTRODUCTION: The politics of social policy in Asia

Behind the rhetoric of inexorable economic growth and rising prosperity associated with notions of an ‘Asian Century’ lies a complex and contingent reality. While Asia’s economic rise has led to higher living standards, social exclusion remains a major challenge. Extreme poverty persists in South Asia and to a lesser extent Southeast Asia. At the same time, millions of people in these and some other parts of Asia live on incomes just above the extreme poverty line, leaving them vulnerable to falling back into extreme poverty due to economic crises, natural disasters, or other shocks. Illustrating this risk, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates that COVID-19 drove 4.7 million people into extreme poverty in Southeast Asia alone. Many people in poorer parts of Asia also continue to lack access to basic services such as education and healthcare, notwithstanding dramatic improvements in this respect in recent decades, or only have access to poor quality services. In some Asian countries, including some of the wealthier ones within the region, rising inequality, aging populations, persistent labour precarity, and rural-urban migration have posed additional challenges with regards to poverty and social exclusion. Research and analysis by international organisations suggest that inequality in particular represents a key threat to the region, noting that it is producing political and social tensions that could undermine growth and stability. In response to this situation, many Asian governments have invested significant resources in new social welfare schemes in