The Social Security Administration (SSA) anticipates continuing Social Security Programs Throughout the World (SSPTW), a four-volume series that highlights features of social security programs in 177 countries, by awarding a new cooperative agreement by September 201 7.

The new cooperative

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agreement will be for four years, and will involve producing two full sets of the four regional volumes (Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe), with one volume released every six months.

Each country summary of SSPTW is divided into sections based on the five branches of social security (old age, survivors and disability; sickness and maternity; work injury; unemployment; and family allowances), and within each section are detailed descriptions of the regulatory framework, coverage, source of funds, qualifying conditions, and administrative organizations of social security programs in each branch.

(See past volumes at:
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/index.html).

The information collected in SSPTW allows SSA to analyze the programs and experiences that relate to U.

S.

program policy deliberations and enables policymakers and researchers to track changes in the relevant program provisions.

A continuous flow of accurate and reliable data on international social security provisions is critical to these efforts.