Patrick Heller, director of the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia, explores how countries in the Global South have expanded welfare systems despite the lasting effects of colonialism and global capitalism in a recent paper published in Sociology of Development. Drawing on the cases of Brazil, India, and South Africa, Heller examines the rise of what he calls the “democratic social development state,” arguing that democratization, stronger state institutions and closer engagement with civil society have helped advance rights-based approaches to social welfare in the developing world.
Date
April 27, 2026
The Democratic Social Developmental State: Parameters of the Possible in the Global South
Patrick Heller argues in a recent paper that democratic governance and stronger state institutions have helped countries in the Global South expand rights-based welfare systems despite colonial and economic constraints.