Processes of globalization have made national social policy increasingly important. For successful integration into the world economy, countries across the world - and particularly those that are poorest - need better policies for social protection, health, education, and labour markets. This book argues that international development should be more forceful in supporting the capacity for public policy formulation and implementation.The author brings together development theory and practice, and provides a major contribution to the recent studies on social policy in a development context. Reclaiming Social Policy provides a normative and practical framework for supporting social policy making. Departing from a rights-approach, it calls for grounding public policies in a conception of the state's responsibility to allow people to develop their capabilities. It provides a practical guide to assessing social policy frameworks, regarding access, quality, relevance and participation.