Poverty Eradication Beyound Monetary Deprivations

Abstract

This research examines the Developed Social Security System (DSSS) in Saudi Arabia as a part of the social protection system. The objective is to highlight the assumptions on how DSSS identifies and acts on promoting wellbeing in Saudi Arabia, and to assess how far the DSSS meets social policy inclusion strategies. The study adopts a conceptual framework built on Amartya Sen’s capability approach and Nancy Fraser’s dimensions of justice, using inclusion and intersectionality as the lens throughout. In this research poverty is understood as capability deprivation and the experience of exclusion where social protection policies are seen as a solution toward the eradication of poverty and could play a role in addressing gender inequalities and reducing social exclusion. This research uses the World Bank Social Inclusion Assessment Tool (SiAT) to examine the DSSS across four dimensions: coverage, responsiveness, empowerment, and monitoring. Drawing on policy documents, national strategies (Vision 2030), and global frameworks (SDGs), the study reveals that while the DSSS reflects a shift toward promotive social protection, it falls short in addressing the structural and intersectional barriers. Such findings aim to contribute to the understanding of how poverty eradication policies must go beyond monetary deprivation and address structural inequalities to achieve a just society.