A key normative principle of transformative social policy is that it is rights-based. This implies that it be universal, as a right extended categorically to all persons in a defined situation, or to all citizens, or, in its most radical form, as applicable to all residents regardless of citizenship status. To be transformative, social policy also needs to tackle the root causes of inequalities and social injustices. In the recent past, approaches emerged in a number of countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia that pointed in the direction of universal, rights-based social policy. These suggest that a “social turn” took place – a shift to ideas and policies that prioritize social issues. In the cases under review (India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Thailand), the trends towards a universal, rights-based approach to social services and social transfers were in each case politically driven and a result of changes in government – the social turns were the outcome of contestation. At present, these countries are experiencing political backlashes, with democratic processes and civil society under severe attack. This article seeks to make two points. First, a rights-based, transformative policy approach and a social turn do not come automatically: it is always the result of contestation, be it from the electorate and their interests groups, or from competition between political parties. Second, acquired rights and moves towards transformation can be dismantled. In the current global political rollback, there is a need to defend and fight for transformative and rights-based social policy.

中文翻译：

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南亚和东南亚基于权利的变革性社会政策的政治

变革性社会政策的一个关键规范原则是它以权利为基础。这意味着它是普遍的，作为一项明确扩展到特定情况下的所有人或所有公民的权利，或者以其最激进的形式适用于所有居民，无论其公民身份如何。为了实现变革，社会政策还需要解决不平等和社会不公正的根源。最近，东南亚和南亚的一些国家出现了指向普遍的、基于权利的社会政策方向的方法。这些表明发生了“社会转向”——转向优先考虑社会问题的思想和政策。在审查中的案例中（印度、缅甸、尼泊尔、巴基斯坦和泰国），以权利为基础的社会服务和社会转移方法在每种情况下都是政治驱动的，是政府更迭的结果——社会转变是争论的结果。目前，这些国家正在经历政治反弹，民主进程和公民社会受到严重冲击。本文试图提出两点。首先，基于权利的变革性政策方法和社会转向并非自动出现：它始终是竞争的结果，无论是来自选民及其利益集团，还是来自政党之间的竞争。其次，可以拆除已获得的权利和走向转型的举措。在当前的全球政治倒退中，需要捍卫和争取变革性和基于权利的社会政策。