Who should bear the main burden of social service: is it the state, the private sector, NGOs, communities or individuals? This is a very complex discussion, so central to questions of rising inequality. In order to contribute to this debate, Laura Alfers has published a paper for the UNRISD Conference “Overcoming Inequalities in a Fractured World: Between Elite Power and Social Mobilization”, which took place in Geneva, last November. Laura’s paper is concerned with how informal workers’ organizations have become involved in health service provision – something that is often termed “co-production.” She draws from two case studies, one from India and another one from Thailand, to explain how grassroots organizations have taken important roles in the provision of social services.