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The report examines how illicit financial flows (IFFs) deprive East and Southern African governments of resources needed for social protection. Focusing on Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, it compares the scale of financial losses from tax evasion, corruption, and trade misinvoicing against the funding gaps in social assistance programmes. The study concludes that recovering these lost funds could significantly increase the coverage and adequacy of social protection floors for vulnerable groups.

The document assesses Tanzania's macroeconomic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the use of accommodative monetary and fiscal policies to avoid recession. It recommends strengthening healthcare, implementing macroprudential policies, and prioritizing climate-resilient economic development and social protection for vulnerable groups.

The Institute for Economic Justice contends that the 2022 South African budget prioritizes 'fiscal consolidation' over fundamental human rights, leading to real-term funding cuts in health and education. The author argues that these 'false economies' increase long-term costs and social volatility, citing the R50-billion damage from the July 2021 riots as a warning of the costs of inequality. The document calls for Parliament to reject the budget and demand a version that does not violate the Constitution.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) calls for the South African government to transition from the temporary Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to a permanent basic income support system. The author argues that while President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to this goal, the National Treasury's fiscally conservative approach and 'technocratic machinery' threaten to undermine the policy through restrictive eligibility, low grant levels, and the blocking of social security reforms. The IEJ suggests that increasing the grant to R500 per month for 13.4 million people would be affordable using tax overruns, and proposes alternative financing mechanisms such as a social security tax, financial transactions tax, and resource rent tax to avoid reliance on VAT or personal income tax increases.

The Institute for Economic Justice and partner organisations advocate for transitioning the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant into a permanent universal basic income guarantee (Ubig) in South Africa. They argue that a Ubig is fiscally feasible through progressive taxation and would act as an economic stimulus by boosting local consumption and productivity. The authors call for the grant's value to be increased to at least the Food Poverty Line and eventually the upper bound poverty line (approximately R1,500), urging the presidency to establish a high-level review to implement this transition.

The paper argues that Canada should implement federal legislation to mandate a comprehensive just transition strategy, embedding International Labour Organization principles of social dialogue and decent work. It recommends linking this transition to a 1.5°C-aligned pathway, ensuring the respectful inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, and establishing independent advisory bodies with adequate authority and accountability. Beyond legislation, the author suggests mainstreaming just transition principles across government departments, improving corporate accountability, and planning a managed wind-down of fossil fuel production to support workers.

The document examines the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, highlighting increased job losses, food insecurity, and health vulnerabilities. Through case studies in Zimbabwe, Peru, and the Philippines, it demonstrates how pandemic-related restrictions and market disruptions reinforced gender pay gaps and marginalization. The brief argues for the adoption of rapid gender assessments, gender-disaggregated data analysis, and gender-responsive budgeting to ensure inclusive recovery and structural reform in the ASM sector.

The document argues that COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing gender inequalities in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, disproportionately affecting women through job losses, reduced incomes, and increased vulnerability to gender-based violence. Using case studies from Zimbabwe, Peru, and the Philippines, it highlights how women's roles—often considered 'peripheral' or informal—left them without government support and increased their domestic burdens. The brief recommends the adoption of rapid gender analyses, sex-disaggregated data collection, and gender-responsive budgeting to create emergency and long-term structural reforms that protect marginalized women in the mining sector.

The report argues that while Kenya is advancing in renewable energy and climate policy, its transition to a low-carbon economy risks marginalizing informal workers, women, and youth. It examines sectoral vulnerabilities in agriculture, energy, transport, industry, forestry, waste, and tourism, highlighting a critical gap between national climate goals and the social protection mechanisms needed to ensure a just transition. The document recommends integrating just transition principles into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Medium-Term Plans, emphasizing the need for reskilling, gender quotas, and the formalization of the informal sector to prevent livelihood losses.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) critiques South Africa's Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), a USD 8.5 billion deal with France, the UK, the US, and the EU. The analysis highlights that 81% of the financing consists of loans, with 89.4% targeted at infrastructure, leaving minimal funding for skills development (0.1%) and economic diversification (0.3%). The IEJ warns that the plan's reliance on 'de-risking' private investment through Independent Power Producers (IPPs) may lead to higher electricity tariffs, unsustainable sovereign debt from previous guarantee windows, and a failure to localize the renewable energy value chain. Furthermore, the document notes a lack of social security for workers in the Mpumalanga coal-belt, where up to 8,000 direct jobs could be lost. The IEJ advocates for a shift toward climate reparations, debt cancellation, and grant-based financing to ensure a truly just transition.

The document examines how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing gender inequalities in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector globally, with a focus on women's disproportionate loss of income, increased food insecurity, and limited access to healthcare. Through case studies in Zimbabwe, Peru, and the Philippines, it illustrates how women's roles—often classified as 'secondary'—led to higher layoff rates and exclusion from government aid. The brief argues for a three-tiered policy approach: emergency rapid gender assessments, short-term resilience measures based on gender-disaggregated data, and long-term structural reforms including gender-responsive budgeting and formalization of the sector.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that South Africa's 2021 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) prioritizes austerity and a budget surplus over necessary socioeconomic investment. The IEJ highlights significant real-term spending cuts in health, basic education, and social protection, asserting that such a contractionary stance stifles economic recovery and increases unemployment. The document advocates for a shift toward fiscal expansion, a comprehensive stimulus package, and the implementation of a wealth tax to fund a transformative economic agenda.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) criticizes the 2021 MTBPS for implementing real-term spending cuts across health, education, and social protection while prioritizing a primary budget surplus over economic stimulus. The IEJ contends that the government is ignoring available fiscal space and recommends a shift toward a comprehensive stimulus package, the implementation of a wealth tax, and the adoption of a Universal Basic Income Grant to foster an equitable recovery.

The document compares universal and targeted Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) models in South Africa, concluding that a universal approach for adults aged 18–59 is superior. It argues that targeted programmes suffer from exclusion errors, administrative complexity, and poverty traps. The paper proposes that a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) can be funded via progressive taxation and social security contributions, serving as an investment to stimulate local economies and strengthen social cohesion. It recommends a rapid universal rollout over phased or targeted implementation to avoid arbitrary eligibility rules and administrative burdens.

The document examines the trade-offs between universal and targeted Basic Income Guarantees (BIG) for South Africans aged 18-59. It argues that targeting creates administrative burdens, high exclusion errors, and social stigma, whereas a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) ensures broader coverage and social cohesion. The brief contends that a UBIG is fiscally feasible through progressive taxation, such as a Social Security Tax, and provides superior poverty reduction by allowing households to pool resources. It specifically critiques the use of employment status or household-level targeting, noting that the latter can exacerbate gender inequalities. The brief recommends a universal BIG as the most efficient path to economic recovery and social stability.

The report identifies a 43% increase in government support for Indian marine fisheries between FY 2016 and FY 2019, reaching at least INR 2,225 crore (USD 316 million). It highlights that fuel subsidies are the most significant support measure, growing 142% in the same period. The analysis emphasizes that while income support is vital for the high percentage of fishers living below the poverty line, input-based subsidies for fuel and vessel modernization risk encouraging overcapacity and overfishing. The report recommends a comprehensive evaluation of these high-risk measures and improved data transparency to align support with the National Fisheries Policy 2020 and Sustainable Development Goal 14.

The Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), launched by the Ethiopian government in 2005, provides cash or food transfers to over 8 million households to address chronic food insecurity and climate shocks. Integrated into the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy, the program's fifth phase (Phase V), initiated in November 2020 via the Strengthen Ethiopia’s Adaptive Safety Net Project (SEASN), is supported by a diverse funding pool including the World Bank, USAID, UK FCDO, and the Government of Ethiopia. The program utilizes public works, such as building terraced hill slopes, to enhance water retention and climate adaptation.

The document proposes that Indonesia generate approximately IDR 261 trillion per year by reforming fossil fuel subsidies and introducing new taxes on coal and transport fuels. These funds could cover COVID-19 health and social protection expenditures while supporting a transition to renewable energy. The authors recommend a phased approach to price reform, including targeted social safety nets to protect vulnerable populations from rising energy costs.

The document argues that the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis share analytical similarities as global shocks that exacerbate existing inequalities. It identifies six key lessons for South Africa: the necessity of accessible social protection, the need to value care work, the requirement for a strong and proactive state, the importance of localising industrial processes, the necessity of international cooperation, and the need to center justice in responses to mitigate worsening inequalities.

The document analyzes the devastating impact of COVID-19 on South Africa's economy, noting a 7% contraction in 2020 and a record unemployment rate of 32.6% in Q1 2021. It highlights that initial relief measures, such as the R500 billion rescue package, were poorly implemented, with only one-third materializing by February 2021. The brief details severe job losses in construction, trade, and manufacturing, and notes that women and informal workers were disproportionately affected. It specifically identifies a 'second pandemic' of gender-based violence and femicide (GBV-F), with annual costs estimated between R28.4 billion and R42.4 billion. To mitigate these crises, the IEJ recommends replacing the Loan Guarantee Scheme with grants, extending the TERS wage support, reinstating the SRD grant at R585 per month, and increasing public infrastructure spending.