MIGRATION AND SOCIAL PROTECTION POLICIES IN ROMANIA AND SWITZERLAND PROMOTING ACTIVE AGING IN THE WELFARE STATE
MIGRATION AND SOCIAL PROTECTION POLICIES IN ROMANIA AND SWITZERLAND PROMOTING ACTIVE AGING IN THE WELFARE STATE

Summary/Abstract: The fact that Romania is in the process of economic development is a reality justified by national, European and international statistics regarding GDP and quality of life. Consequently, the average salary in Romania is low compared to the one in developed European states and so is the value of pensions granted to the elderly. Beyond that, social assistance legislation has some deficiencies that strengthen the flaws of social protection system and suggests that welfare state is a concept that has some distinct features in the case of Romania compared to the Western states model. The situation is even more exciting to be dealt with as we can identify specific features for people who are directly or indirectly involved in the migration process. Specific elements can be highlighted even more clearly in an analysis which shows two models of social protection for the elderly, such as that of Switzerland in comparison to the one in Romania. On the one hand, we distinguish a state with a western democratic tradition, a confederation structure which has close relations of cooperation in all fields with the European Union; on the other hand, we are referring to Romania, a country with a social and political pattern impregnated by Eastern influence. Therefore, this article proposes a theoretical analysis of policies regarding social assistance and protection for older people in Romania and Switzerland, as well as of migration policies, respectively of the conditions for the integration of migrant people in the two countries. The two countries have different elements concerning the social protection policy for elderly people. As for the second part of our analysis, namely the integration of immigrants, we can find some common points highlighted by the Migrant Integration Index, the two countries occupying close positions, respectively 21 for Switzerland and 23 for Romania.

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