Besa Luci in conversation with Maja Gerovska-Mitev and Artan Mustafa.
In this episode, we look at social protection. That is, whether and to what extent countries in the region have social schemes and programs that can meaningfully help the most vulnerable and have a meaningful effect on economic mobility.
Access to adequate social protection becomes particularly critical in times of crisis and economic shocks. During the pandemic, we experienced first-hand how essential social protection is. Many people lost their jobs, industry came to a halt, and medical institutions were in a shock. This created a greater awareness of the essential nature of social safety nets.
These shocks to the global economic system continued in 2022 when Russia’s war in Ukraine led to global inflation, which degraded the value of people's savings and paychecks, and which put low-income people in an especially vulnerable position.
Most governments in the region intervened and rolled out relief packages that aimed to help more vulnerable groups in society face the added burdens and pressures. However, there’s much to explore about the extent to which safety nets were already existing and whether response measures contributed to relief for citizens.
I spoke about different aspects of social protection schemes with two scholars of social policy and welfare systems who recently co-authored a paper that examines social protection spending and redistribution in the region between 2005 and 2016.
Maja Gerovska-Mitev is a professor of social policy in North Macedonia. Her research focuses on examining the changing nature of welfare systems and their impact on poverty and social exclusion.
Artan Mustafa is a professor and social policy researcher in Kosovo, whose research focuses on the politics of the welfare state, social policy design, change and outcomes, and the social foundations of political parties.
Other Talking Points is produced by Besa Luci, Aulonë Kadriu and Gentiana Paçarizi.
Music and sound mix by PUG musik.
This episode was produced with the financial support of the National Endowment for Democracy.
You can listen to Other Talking Points through our website or by subscribing to K2.0 on Spotify.
