Whether in a state welfare system or donor-funded programme, the fundamental questions around social protection can be summarised as who and how: who should receive the support, and how should that support be provided? Yet though superficially simple, these are highly complex decisions - particularly in the poorest societies, where any form of social protection is a political issue, and where networks to distribute social payments are less established.

OPM has been involved in some of the most inventive approaches to these problems, providing support to those designing and implementing social assistance and cash transfer programmes, helping emerging states create welfare policies and evaluating new approaches to emergency provision.