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. How...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Guven, Melis U.
Format:	Policy Note
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2013
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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Summary:	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.

Albania Social Assistance Policy Note : Key Challenges and Opportunities

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