Social Policy During a Decade of Centre-Right Governance in Macedonia

Abstract

This chapter explores the reforms adopted in the fields of social protection, employment, child protection and social insurance in Macedonia from 2008 to 2016. During this period the ruling centre-right political party initiated many social policy projects, some of which have become larger than the previous well-established social policies. The chapter traces whether these changes in social policy have improved the outcomes for socio-economic standards, especially among the most vulnerable people. In addition, the chapter explores the main principles and approaches to the creation of social policy in Macedonia over the last decade. The analysis distinguishes whether there was a definitive shift in the creation of social policy and whether the adopted policies were path-dependent or were associated with new norms and values. The analysis shows that during the 10-year period of the VMRO-DPMNE rule, social protection was reshaped in order to serve clients that were less vulnerable than in the past. Active labour market policies (ALMPs) were designed in a way that excludes “hard to serve” clients and targeted those more easily activated among the unemployed. The introduction of arbitrary increases in welfare entitlements became a new norm. The creation of social policy throughout the period slowly dissolved into a monolithic and top-down policy process, excluding any possibility for reflection, for the use of critical approaches or for the utilisation of prior knowledge and experience.