ODI has been commissioned by The Partnership For African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) to undertake a scoping study on social protection to assist PASGR in refining ideas for subsequent research projects. The scoping study will be divided into two parts: Part I is a review of research and policy literature relevant to social protection in Africa for the purpose of identifying researchable areas within the social protection spectrum in Africa. Part II is concerned specifically with identifying potential aras of PASGR research activity.