Transcript Slide 1

Social Inclusion and Economic
Growth in Western Balkan
Countries
ETF Regional Experts Meeting
Torino, 13-14 November 2008
Rachel Hinton,
Social Development Adviser, DFID
Why Social Inclusion for a
Member State?
In a context where Western Balkans
countries are moving towards European
integration, there is a need to focus
attention on social inclusion.
• Peace and Security
European integration
Rights and SD perspective
Build human capital
Economic Growth
Social change
Changing Power Relations
Social & Political Inclusion
(Institutional Change)
Enabling
Environment
Awareness
(knowledge generation)
Capacity
Building
Social Inclusion
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CTL Meeting Islamabad, 18-19 September 2003
Tackling social exclusion
1. Programming in the social protection
2.
3.
4.
5.
sector
Policy dialogue at a technical level on
social policy reform
Working with partners (World Bank;
UN; Member States and EC)
PRSP Poverty reduction strategy
processes
Knowledge generation and lesson
learning
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Tackling social exclusion examples
1. Albania - Social Services Delivery Project
2.
3.
4.
5.
community-based approaches to social care.
Serbia – Employment Promotion Programme
promoting active labour market measures
Kosovo - the Social Protection Programme and
impact of pensions claims, Minority Rights Group
Roma advocacy
Bosnia – joint Child Rights programme UN/EC
Serbia and BiH – PRSP
Knowledge generation – aid effectiveness work
ODI, gender SDD, social exclusion Leslie Groves
and Alan Phillips, 2008 report OA
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Albania - Social
Services Delivery
Project
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Oxford Analytica Report 2008
WHAT?
Examine the impact European integration and economic reform
might have on key vulnerable groups in the region.
WHY?
To encourage attention to social inclusion by policymakers and
awareness that IPA funds can champion the issue of social
inclusion in the region.
Economic growth
Employment
European accession
Social Inclusion
Who are the socially excluded?
Unemployed
Women
Children
Youth
Disabled
Roma
© Oxford Analytica
Employment rate by gender in the
Western Balkans
(% of the population aged 15-64): 2005 (2004 for Albania and BiH)
Source: ETF, 2007
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Attention to social exclusion issues in 2007
Multi-annual Indicative Planning Documents
SELECTED SOCIAL
CONCERNS
ALBANIA
BIH
KOSOVO
MACEDONIA
Social policy or social
protection
Y
Y
Y
Y
Social exclusion
Y
Y
Y
Y
Income inequality
H
H
H
Y
Unemployment as a concern
Y
Y
Y
Y
Education, inclusive
education
Y
Y
Y
Y
Minorities
Y
Y
Y
Y
Youth
Y
Y
Y
Y
Women
Y
Y
Y
Y
Refugees/idps, returnees
Y
Y
Y
0
Disabled
Y
Y
Y
0
Low-skilled
H
H
H
Y
Health indicators
Y
Y
Y
Y
Rural population
H
Y
Y
Y
Source: Oxford Analytica (forthcoming)
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ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF SOCIAL INCLUSION
Economic benefits of SI policies
1. Building Human Capital
HOW?
2. Facilitating access to labour markets
WHY?
•Potential productive source of human capital and thus
economic growth.
•Education and labour market policies can alleviate some
forms of social exclusion.
•Strong links between education and growth
Policy design -
© Oxford Analytica
multidisciplinary in order to have the greatest impact on
economic growth.
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Unemployment rate by educational attainment
(% of the Population aged 15-64): 2005 (2004 for BiH and Albania)
Source: ETF, 2007
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Strong projected gains in
GDP from education reform
Improvements in GDP with increases in education
spending and consequent human capital (global)
•Source: Hanushek and Wossmann, 2007
There are also further gains from
quality education and youth employment
• More informed and increased political participation
• Reduced burden of social benefits
• Improved understanding of health care and how to access
If social exclusion remains, there are clear risks
to both economic growth and to EU integration
• Unemployment, including youth, can lead to social and
disquiet, political riots and conflict
• Waste of potential human capital, labour
• Threat to EU accession by not meeting the terms of the
acquis which refer to social inclusion
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CONCLUSIONS
IPA funding
- a means to tackle social exclusion
• EC funding is already being used to alleviate social exclusion in
other Western Balkans countries e.g. Adult Learning Project in
Croatia
• In Kosovo, an IPA project was initiated this year to support
vocational education and employment (10.7m euros)
• In other areas of social inclusion, there are also IPA projects in
civil society, reintegration of IDPs, multicultural awareness and
rural development.
Total IPA funds directed to
social inclusion for 2007-8
amount to approx 22m euros
But far more is available:
To 2010, IPA funds amount to
over 65m euros per annum
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Thank you!
[email protected]
Tel: + 44 (0)207 023 1076