Social radioscopy in the Western Balkans and Macedonia's attempt to address the social challenge Cover Image

Социјална радиоскопија на Западен Балкан и обидот на Македонија за соочување со социјалниот предизвик
Social radioscopy in the Western Balkans and Macedonia's attempt to address the social challenge

Author(s): Nano Ružin
Subject(s): Civil Society, Governance, International relations/trade, Welfare systems, Social development, Geopolitics
Published by: Филозофскиот факултет во Скопје
Keywords: Western Balkans; social policy; former Yugoslav federations; Macedonia; social challenge;

Summary/Abstract: What is the Western Balkans and which states do they make? Is it possible to define the exact boundaries of this entity? It is clear that this space is more political than a geographical concept. All states emerging from the former Yugoslav federation, except Slovenia, plus Albania, are regarded as state entities in this region. All of these countries are characterized by a population that has experienced numerous demographic changes and immigrant shocks, different rates of economic development and transition, different unemployment rates and heterogeneous GNPs, human development index, poverty, crisis indicators, budget deficits in the past decades and similar. Alongside all these countries have tried to face growing social challenges that focus on three parameters: high unemployment, high poverty rates, low wages, followed by a striking budget deficit. Where is the Republic of Macedonia in this radioscopy? What is her social response? Does the Republic of Macedonia at all endeavor to build its own model of a social state, a model that is in a great crisis everywhere in the world? Our findings show that in the Republic of Macedonia the border between social policy and social protection is still not clear. Experts often mistakenly identify certain segments of social policy, interpreting them as parts of social protection, although their definitions are crystal clear. Due to such overlook comes the erosion of the social protection of social assistance, which creates further negative consequences in the general strategy for social protection in the longer term.

  • Issue Year: 2011
  • Issue No: 8
  • Page Range: 31-45
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Macedonian