Supranational regional policy and institutions, despite their current limitations, can potentially strengthen the role of social policy in development and act as a conduit for ensuring that progressive global standards resonate at the national level. Section 3 then identifies and assesses nine important areas of social policy reform—including health, pensions, cash transfers and labour market policies2—and the institutions and processes involved. Section 4 summarizes what is new or distinctive about contemporary social policy reform, distils key messages related to the transformative potential of these innovations, and reflects on certain political economy drivers that need to be in place if that potential is to be realized.