Summary (English)

This volume describes recent efforts to strengthen and expand social services provided at the community level in the countries of South Eastern Europe and offers a guide for training to give these efforts greater reach and impact. It is an output of the ILO project, Strengthening Social Protection in South Eastern Europe, which is being carried out with financial support from the Government of France. The work was undertaken within the framework of the Social Cohesion Initiative (SCI) of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, which provides international support, both technical and financial, for social reconstruction in the region following the turmoil of the 1990s.1 The research component of the project, of which this analysis is part, examines the restructuring of national social security schemes with particular attention to their efficacy in reducing social exclusion and reaching displaced persons and those with special needs. The studies examine both social policy formation and consequent experience with implementation of legislated reforms. Their broad objective is to provide countries considering reform with timely and precise information on the recent experience and policy results of neighbours facing similar issues, as well as those of selected countries of Central and Western Europe. Through these studies, in association with technical support, we also hope to further empower the government’s social partners in their roles as participants in the social policy process.