The Serbian welfare state: A transition loser

Abstract

The welfare provision in Serbia is one of the areas of public policies determined to the largest extent by economic decisions and it has been facing fundamental demographic and economic challenges. The author first depicts the context of current welfare state reforms, from the period of socialism to transition and today. The main characteristic of demographic changes, as presented in Chap. 2, is ageing of the population. Along with demographic changes, another, even larger challenge to the national welfare state, is the economic situation in the national context. Chapter 3 explores the basic indicators of the labour market in the period of the crisis and focuses primarily on the anti-crisis measures directed towards the welfare system. The national welfare state is traditionally designed along the so-called old social risks, with negligible orientation of its policies toward the new ones. Therefore, in Chap. 4, pension, labour market, health, social care, family, as well as long-term care policies are taken into consideration. The concluding chapter points to possible trajectories of the welfare state reforms in Serbia.