SOCIAL SAFETY NETS IN POLARIZED AND CONFLICT-RIDDEN SOCIETIES

Abstract

This paper examines the role of Social Safety Nets (SSNs) as policy instruments for addressing poverty, vulnerability, and instability in polarized and conflict-ridden societies, moving beyond their traditional conceptualization as mere welfare mechanisms to recognize their broader social, political, and peacebuilding functions. Using a qualitative, non-empirical approach grounded in a critical review of existing literature and policy documents, and anchored on a multi-theoretical framework comprising Social Protection Theory, Political Economy Theory, and Social Cohesion and Peacebuilding Theory, the study demonstrates how well-designed and inclusive SSN programmes can mitigate social unrest, enhance social cohesion, strengthen state–citizen relations, and serve as stabilizing forces by reducing vulnerability, preventing reform-induced shocks, and fostering trust in public institutions, as illustrated by evidence from Nigeria and other conflict-affected societies. The paper concludes that the effectiveness of SSNs in divided societies depends critically on transparency, inclusiveness, political neutrality, and strategic positioning as peace-sensitive development interventions, and recommends that policymakers design SSNs with explicit conflict-sensitive frameworks, integrate them into broader peacebuilding and state-building agendas, and ensure sustainable financing and institutional anchoring to maximize their stabilizing and cohesive potential in fragile contexts. Keywords: Social Safety Nets; Conflict; Polarization; Social Cohesion; Peacebuilding