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Social protection expenditure and redistribution in the Western Balkans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2022

Artan Mustafa Open the ORCID record for Artan Mustafa [Opens in a new window]  and
Maja Gerovska-Mitev Open the ORCID record for Maja Gerovska-Mitev [Opens in a new window]
Artan Mustafa*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Political Science, University for Business and Technology (UBT), Prishtina, Kosovo
Maja Gerovska-Mitev
Affiliation:
Institute of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia
*
Email: artan.mustafa@ubt-uni.net
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Abstract

This paper analyses social protection expenditure, its financing and its correlation with redistribution effects in the European Union (EU) candidate and potential candidate countries from the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia. Although social expenditure in the Western Balkans varies between countries in terms of the extent and functions, in general, it is growing and concentrates on the elderly population. The expenditure is strongly redistributive towards old age, but is less efficient in reducing extensive child and working-age poverty. From an intergenerational perspective, despite various recent improvements, it remains significantly unbalanced compared to the EU. The expenditure reflects the design of social rights that have been shaped by the legacy of socialism and war, local politics, and international organisations perhaps more than by the impact of economic resources and aging.

Keywords

Social protection expenditureredistributionlegacypoliticsWestern Balkans
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , July 2022 , pp. 135 - 152
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with Social Policy Association

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