世界银行-推进西巴尔干地区的社会保护：改革的机遇（英）-2023-13页._377kb

Advancing Social Protection in the Western Balkans: Opportunities for Reform

Context

The six Western Balkan countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia—face high poverty levels, weak labor markets, and aging populations. These challenges are exacerbated by global crises, environmental risks, and high rates of informal employment. Social protection reforms are deemed critical for improving resilience, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable economic growth.

Key Challenges

• Poverty and Labor Market Issues: Poverty rates range from 12% to 34%, and employment rates for working-age adults are below 60%. Informal employment limits access to social insurance and support.
• Inadequate Social Assistance: Poverty-targeted programs are underfunded (less than 2% of GDP on average) and offer low benefits, failing to effectively lift families out of poverty.
• Administrative and Eligibility Barriers: Strict categorical eligibility criteria, complex application processes, and outdated disability assessments restrict access to assistance and create work disincentives.
• Insufficient Funding for Social Services: Investment in social services (e.g., child and elderly care) is below regional averages, limiting equity and quality of care.
• Unemployment Benefits and Labor Market Services: Benefits are low and coverage limited; employment services struggle to meet client needs due to inadequate capacity and coordination.

Areas for Reform

1. Building Crisis Response Foundations:

   • Strengthen social registries and digital systems to identify beneficiaries efficiently.
   • Expand last-resort income support (LRIS) to better target poverty-affected households and increase flexibility during crises (e.g., COVID-19).
   • Review targeting methodologies to adapt to changing needs.

2. Expanding Poverty-Targeted Programs:

   • Reallocate budgets toward social assistance to increase cash transfers for poor families.
   • Integrate case management for social assistance and services to provide holistic support.
   • Reform disability assessments to use bio-psycho-social approaches for fairer inclusion.

3. Facilitating Employment Opportunities:

   • Design ALMPs (Active Labor Market Policies) to address skill gaps and support hard-to-employ groups (e.g., women, youth).
   • Enhance employment services through digital tools, private sector collaboration, and targeted training aligned with labor market demands.

4. ** Ensuring Financial Sustainability**:

   • Reform pension systems to improve adequacy and fiscal sustainability through adjustments to contribution rates, retirement ages, and introducing voluntary savings schemes.
   • Balance pension spending with investments in poverty-reducing social assistance to avoid unsustainable deficits.

Recommendations

• Integrated Approach: Combine robust funding, program design, and digital infrastructure to address poverty and vulnerability holistically.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Involve local governments, private sector, and civil society in reforms.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Strengthen M&E systems to track progress and adapt policies.
• Fiscal Rebalancing: Realocate resources from categorical programs toward poverty-targeted initiatives and sustainable pension reforms.

The urgency of reform is underscored by demographic trends, climate risks, and the need to enhance social protection systems' resilience.