This cutting-edge Handbook argues for social protection to be situated in a wider system of social welfare and development programmes for low- and middle-income countries. Focusing on the role of citizens and communities in enhancing human development, it explores how welfare systems are unfolding in diverse contexts across the global South. Tracing the evolution and theory of social protection, the Handbook examines the nature, design, scope, goals and linkages of social protection and social development programmes. Case studies examine responses to the COVID-19 pandemic; the entrepreneurial character of modern social protection schemes; cash transfer schemes and the move towards cash-plus policies; and the fluidity between progression and regression of social protection. With global and regional reviews of social protection from in-country experts, the Handbook provides innovative solutions to key challenges. Bridging theoretical and empirical approaches, the Handbook on Social Protection and Social Development in the Global South will prove an invaluable resource for academics and graduate students of development, social policy and sociology. Its comprehensive overview of the field will also be useful for policymakers and practitioners working on social welfare and development in the global South.