Forum introduction: Revisiting targeting and universalism

This Forum revisits an enduring debate in social policy - between universalism and targeting;and specifically, whether (on what criteria) and, if so how, to target various forms of social assistance or protection. The motivation for revisiting this discussion is the World Bank's (WB) recently published report 'Revisiting Targeting in Social Assistance: A New Look at Old Dilemmas'. We start this Forum by situating this debate between universalism and targeting within the history of social policy that helps us trace the roots of the arguments and highlight its significance for the current post-Covid-19 context as well as for the future of social policy. We consider some key themes and discuss the implications of this debate from the perspective of global social policy.