New relations between the public and civil sectors: Partnerships and contracting in the provison of social security in Serbia

Abstract

Activities of public and civil sectors in the provision of social security, as well as their relations, have been subjected to numerous assessments and changes, both in the global and national contexts. Efforts to overcome the shortages of each of the sectors and to improve their strengths have been increasingly present, via their networking into different partnership and/or contracting relations. A summary of the development of relations between the public and civil sectors in Serbia points to extremely different phases in the development of each of the sectors, with significant consequences for their mutual relations. The existing legal framework recognizes the need for the cooperation between the sectors in the provision of social security, but does not encourage it sufficiently. Despite its under-representation, the civil sector has been developing, both autonomously, and in cooperation with the public sector, with significant repercussions for the supply of social services and provision of social security. An evaluation of the development of social services in the future will be surely based, among other things, on the boundaries delineated by the legislators between the different service providers, but also on the capability to implement new solutions and relations.

Aktivnosti javnog i civilnog sektora u obezbeđivanju socijalne sigur- nosti, kao i njihovi odnosi, podvrgnuti su brojnim procenama i promenama, kako u glo- balnom, tako i u nacionalnom kontekstu. Sve su prisutniji pokušaji prevazilaženja nedostataka pojedinačnih sektora i jačanja snaga, posredstvom njihovog povezivanja u različite vrste partnerstava i/ili sklapanje ugovornih odnosa. Kratak pregled razvoja odnosa između javnog i civilnog sektora u Srbiji ukazuje na izuzetno različite faze u njihovom pojedinačnom razvoju, sa značajnim reperkusijama na njihove odnose. Postojeći zakonodavni okvir uvažava potrebu za saradnjom aktera u obezbeđivanju socijalne sigurnosti, ali je nedovoljno podstiče. Iako i dalje nedovoljno zastupljen, civilni sektor se razvija, kako samostalno, tako i u saradnji sa javnim sektorom, sa značajnim posledicama po ponudu socijalnih usluga i obezbeđivanje socijalne sigurnosti. Procena razvijenosti socijalnih usluga ubuduće svakako će se temeljiti, između ostalog, na granicama koje će zakonodavci iscrtavati između različitih pružaoca usluga, ali i sposobnosti implementacije novih rešenja i odnosa. .