This article by by Keetie Roelen, Rachel Sabates-Wheeler and Stephen Devereux features in the World Social Science Report 2016. Social protection refers to a range of policies that explicitly aim to reduce poverty and vulnerability, and which have the potential to be redistributive. This contribution argues that social protection can significantly contribute to reducing inequality and social injustice, particularly when it is designed and delivered in conjunction with complementary initiatives. The authors argue that emerging evidence from middle and low-income countries makes a compelling case for social protection’s positive impacts on addressing both material and non-material inequalities.