United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)

"Social integration" is a broad and ambiguous term, variously understood by different people. To some, it is a positive goal, implying the promotion of well-ordered and harmonious relations at all levels of society. To others, increasing integration has a negative connotation, conjuring up the image of an unwanted imposition of uniformity. For a third group, the term implies neither a positive nor a negative state.

This paper argues that, although safety net programmes have had some notable successes, they are not the answer to the social impacts of adjustment, and should not serve to deflect efforts to refine adjustment programmes so that their social costs are better contained.