The Perspectives on Non-state Social Protection

COVID-19 has deepened the vulnerability of millions of people. This has reinforced the need for stronger social protection systems globally. Literature on social protection have emphasized the role of government even though it is not the main provider of social protection in many parts of Africa. The aim of this research is to explore non-state social protection from different perspectives identified in literature. A critical literature review was conducted on literature selected from the Scopus database limited to the period 2010–2021, and the main non-state social protection providers are limited to Africa. The paper finds that private corporate entities are among the key non-state actors providing social protection in some low- and medium-income countries. Based on five perspectives identified in literature, this research explains the forms and characteristics of non-state social protection, with emphasis on Africa. The paper concludes that contrary to the realities of the western world, populations in Africa generally survive by some form of non-state social protection services. These are services provided by non-state actors such as private corporate entities as a part of creating shared value for the society.