Global Social Policy at 25—Lessons, legacies and new directions

Celebrating 25 years of Global Social Policy , this article reflects on the evolution of global social policy as a field of research and practice. We trace the field’s origins in debates on globalisation and the influence of international organisations on national welfare systems, highlighting how successive crises and policy agendas have shaped global social policy scholarship and practice. We review key policy themes such as pensions, health, social protection, cash transfers, migration, gender and universalism, while also identifying emerging concerns around climate change, eco-social policy, digitalisation and artificial intelligence. The article further assesses GSP ’s contribution to theoretical and conceptual debates, including policy diffusion, ideational approaches, and multi-scalar analyses of social policy change. We conclude by reflecting on persistent challenges, notably the need to strengthen Global South perspectives and decolonise the field, while arguing that global social policy remains essential for addressing increasingly transnational risks and inequalities in an era of geopolitical uncertainty and multilateral retrenchment.