This issue of the ESR Review features Hannah Dawson’s examination of new methodologies and tools for measuring,
monitoring and evaluating the progressive realisation of socioeconomic rights, and Charles Lwanga-Ntale’s analysis of the barriers to social protection uptake in East Africa. Updates are provided on recent developments on socio-economic rights in Africa and at the United Nations.

The ICESCR campaign is a civil society campaign to advocate for the ratification of the ICESCR and the OP-CESCR), by the
South African Government.

This research report has two broad thrusts. It firstly reviews some of the main policies which seek to alleviate and eventually eradicate poverty and its causes and , secondly , the report provides a budget and benefit incidence analysis which puts a spotlight on the figures behind the policies. Five departments were chosen as the subject of the poverty audit review and they are the national and provincial departments of education, health, housing , social development and transport. The reasons for the choice of the latter department are set out elsewhere in this report.

This paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the policy developments for social security before and after 1994. This analysis enables an assessment to be made on how far the constitutional obligation to progressively realise the right to social security and social assistance for those who can’t provide for themselves has been realised, and the extent to which this obligation has in fact driven the policy making process.

This review reflects the findings of SPII’s investigation into National and Provincial budget allocations over a 5 year period 2007/08 - 2011/12.