Universalism and targeting in migrant social protection: the case of Durán, Ecuador

Abstract

This article analyzes how the tension between universalism and targeting was expressed in social protection policies aimed at the migrant population in Durán Canton, in order to identify the structural limitations that hindered effective inclusion and to propose territorialized welfare as an analytical and public policy framework for strengthening local protection capacities. Methodologically, the study adopted a qualitative case-study design based on critical documentary analysis of specialized literature, Ecuadorian regulatory frameworks, and statistical and institutional information on poverty, labor informality, and access to services. The findings show that the migrant population faced a combination of multidimensional poverty, informal labor insertion, and institutional fragmentation that restricted effective access to social protection. In Durán, 61.8% of migrant households were in multidimensional poverty, 73% of the employed population worked in the informal sector, and simultaneous access to basic services reached only 46.7%. The article concludes that migrant social inclusion depended not only on the formal recognition of rights, but also on the articulation among local capacities, multilevel governance, labor insertion, and territorial inequality.