GROUPS AND NEEDS: RESPONSE OF THE SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM IN NOWADAYS ROMANIA
GROUPS AND NEEDS: RESPONSE OF THE SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM IN NOWADAYS ROMANIA

Summary/Abstract: The poverty percentage in today’s Romania is large related to the EU context and compared to other former communist countries. Large differences can be observed in the cases of certain groups which are vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion. For these groups, the most important thing is the intervention of supportive social policies. Besides the higher incidence of poverty and vulnerability, the efficiency of the social transfers in reduction of the poverty (other than pensions) is three times lower in Romania compared to the European average. One of the explanations proposed in this paper refers to the philosophy of the social protection system focused mainly on categorical benefits offered to some large categories presumed to have certain pre-defined vulnerabilities. The rate of the benefits based on testing means is low and the rate of the benefits for supporting those in need of urgent intervention is extremely low. On the other hand, the rate of financial benefits is significantly higher comparing to social services (only 0.7% of GDP, four times lower than the European average). Wasting already insufficient resources by over-addressing certain categories affects those who need the most the support of the social protection system and perpetuates the lack of efficiency of this system in reducing poverty. The over-protection generates in certain cases major social inequities. The analysis starting from the profile of the vulnerable ones will oversee the efficiency and the adequacy/inadequacy of some social protection measures, related to the nature and severity of the identified needs.

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