Global South economies are predominantly characterised by informality. Unregulated, non-standardised, and increasingly digitalised labour place the majority in precarious work situations of high risks and uncertainties. Yet these workers are on the margins of state-led social security regimes. Based on a systematic literature review and contributions to this GSP special issue, we discuss the many causes to social security scarcity among “workers on the margin” (WoM) and explore recent innovate solutions to provide access to social security for WoM. We show how agency and collective mobilisation among WoM have played a pivotal role, but we also caution against overvaluing the power resources of WoM. Recognising the heterogeneity of WoM, we highlight the diverging positions and abilities of different WoM groups to build adequate social security provisions. Still, we find limited evidence of truly transformative solutions addressing deep-set structural inequalities. Broader questions remain unanswered: Can isolated positive cases be brought to scale? Are existing social security rights sufficiently tailored to the needs of WoM? And can incremental policy solutions fundamentally change the structural barriers experienced by WoM?
Ulriksen et al. (2026) studied this question.