Albania Social Assistance Policy Note : Key Challenges and Opportunities

Reducing poverty continues to be one of the main priorities of the Government of Albania. Currently, Albania has an ample platform to provide social protection to its citizens through social insurance, social assistance and employment programs. However, these programs are not efficiently linked to each other, which can lead to unclear and occasionally overlapping roles among the programs. Among these social protection programs, Ndihma Ekonomike (NE) is the only poverty-targeted social benefits program available to the Albanian Government, but despite the continued efforts of the Government to improve the program's impact, the poverty impact of NE remains low. Against this backdrop, the objective of this note is to assist the policy makers in Albania with identifying reforms that would improve the overall effectiveness and targeting of NE. Specifically, the note will present key challenges faced by the Government, as well as outline the reforms that would contribute to a more efficient and effective social assistance system in Albania, resulting in a process with improved transparency and accountability. The note is organized as follows: Section 2 presents a brief overview of the social protection system in Albania while at the same time discussing inefficiencies that arise due to lack of linkages between these programs; Section 3 assesses the current effectiveness of NE; and Section 4 concludes with recommendations.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Guven, Melis U.
Format:	Policy Note biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2010-06
Subjects:	ADMINISTRATIVE FEASIBILITY, BANK DEPOSITS, BENEFICIARIES, BENEFICIARY, BENEFICIARY FAMILIES, BENEFICIARY HOUSEHOLDS, BLOCK GRANTS, BONDS, BROKERAGE, BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, CADASTRE, CASH TRANSFER, CASH TRANSFERS, CHANGES IN POVERTY, CHECKS, COASTAL REGIONS, COMPENSATION, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS, CONSUMER DURABLE, CREDIBILITY, DECENTRALIZATION, DECLINE IN POVERTY, DEED, DEFICITS, DISABILITY, DISABILITY PENSION, DISABILITY PENSIONS, DURABLE GOODS, ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ELECTRICITY PAYMENTS, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS, EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION, EMPLOYMENT STATUS, ESTIMATES OF POVERTY, EU, EXPENDITURES, EXTREME POVERTY, EXTREMELY POOR PEOPLE, FAMILY MEMBERS, FARMERS, FARMING ACTIVITIES, FARMING HOUSEHOLDS, FINANCIAL FLOWS, FISCAL CONSTRAINTS, FRAUD, GRANT ALLOCATION, GRANT ALLOCATIONS, HOME, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, HOUSING, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, IDIOSYNCRATIC SHOCKS, IMMOVABLE PROPERTIES, INCOME, INCOME LEVEL, INFLATION, INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT, INFORMATION SYSTEM, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INHERITANCE, INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES, INSURANCE, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKET PROGRAMS, LAND REFORM, LEGISLATION, LIQUIDITY, LIVING STANDARDS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, MARKET ECONOMY, MEANS TESTING, MOUNTAIN AREAS, MOUNTAIN REGION, OLD-AGE PENSION, PENSION, PENSION INCOME, PENSION RIGHTS, PENSION SYSTEM, PENSIONS, POOR, POOR FAMILIES, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POORER HOUSEHOLDS, POST OFFICES, POVERTY ASSESSMENT, POVERTY GAP, POVERTY IMPACT, POVERTY INCIDENCE, POVERTY INDICATORS, POVERTY MAP, POVERTY RATE, POVERTY RATES, POVERTY REDUCTION, POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY, POVERTY STATUS, PROGRAMMATIC POVERTY ASSESSMENT, RATE OF RETURN, REDUCTION IN POVERTY, REGIONAL AVERAGE, REGIONAL DIFFERENCES, REGIONAL LEVEL, REGIONAL OFFICE, REGIONAL OFFICES, REGIONAL POVERTY, REGISTRATION PROCESS, REMITTANCES, REMOTE AREAS, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL HOUSEHOLDS, RURAL POPULATION, RURAL POVERTY, RURAL POVERTY RATES, RURAL REGIONS, SAFETY NET, SAFETY NETS, SANCTION, SAVINGS, SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, SOCIAL INSURANCE, SOCIAL INSURANCE PROGRAMS, SOCIAL INSURANCE SYSTEM, SOCIAL PROTECTION, SOCIAL PROTECTION SPENDING, TARGETED TRANSFERS, TARGETING, TARGETING MECHANISMS, TAX, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TRANSACTION, TRANSACTION COSTS, TRANSACTIONS COSTS, TRANSPARENCY, UNEMPLOYMENT, VALUE OF ASSETS, VULNERABLE GROUPS, WILL, WORKING DAYS,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2010/06/16413593/albania-social-assistance-policy-note-key-challenges-opportunities http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12857
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