Introduction: Historical Antecedents Behind Remarkable Variance in Social Policy Outcomes in South Africa and Mauritius

This chapter peels away the layers of history to account for welfare divergence in South Africa and Mauritius across different historical epochs. It paints the character of the universal welfare state in Mauritius and means-tested approach in South Africa to draw connections between historical forces that continue to have a bearing on their current social policy dispositions. The social security systems of the two societies are cast into sharp focus, with old-age pensions taking the centre stage as potent symbols of state commitment to the social reform agenda. The political ramifications of their existence are brought to the fore, with social forces providing a background reference point from which to understand their unique existence as divergent welfare states.