Transnational social protection in East and Southeast Asia: resources, restrictions, and risks

This introduction provides a conceptual map of how systems of social protection and cross-border migration influence one another across East and Southeast Asia and beyond. Much of the literature on Transnational Social Protection (TSP) focuses on the (in)ability of migrants in Europe, the United States, and parts of Latin America to protect themselves and their families. With some notable exceptions, few scholars have explored these questions in the Asian context, where modernisation processes, social and political structures, and belief systems differ starkly from those in the West. This introduction examines how the politics, policies, and practices of sending and receiving states uniquely shape migrants’ access to rights and protections in the region. We also discuss the roles that market, third-sector institutions, and personal networks play in supporting migrants and their families. Taken together, the articles in this volume showcase how migrants construct resource environments across national borders in response to the unique opportunities and constraints afforded by the Asian context, compare responses of sending and receiving country states, and propose directions for future research.