| ISSN: | 1640-1808 |
CASE REPORT
Romanian welfare state:
Lessons learned from 30 years
of post-communist experience
1
Research Institute for Quality of Life
Romanian Academy
Publication date: 2020-05-11
Corresponding author
Malina Voicu
Malina Voicu, Calea 13 Septembrie nr. 13, zip code 050711, Bucharest Romania; author’s email address: malina.voicu@iccv.ro
Malina Voicu, Calea 13 Septembrie nr. 13, zip code 050711, Bucharest Romania; author’s email address: malina.voicu@iccv.ro
Simona Stanescu
Simona Stanescu, Calea 13 Septembrie nr. 13, zip code 050711, Bucharest Romania; author’s email address: simona.stanescu@iccv.ro
Simona Stanescu, Calea 13 Septembrie nr. 13, zip code 050711, Bucharest Romania; author’s email address: simona.stanescu@iccv.ro
Problemy Polityki Społecznej 2019;47:73-93
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The transition from planned to market economy meant reconsidering the welfare model
and was one of the most important components of the changes affecting post-communist
societies. The abolition of the state-planned economy implied, among others, abandoning
the full employment policy and the emergence of new social risks that communist state
had not faced in the past. In this context, the welfare model was readjusted according
to market economy, to the political and cultural past of each post-communist society
(Inglot 2003, 2008, 2009). This paper looks at the changes of welfare state in Romania,
by analysing the changes in social expenditures over a period of 16 years (2000 to 2016).
Using data retrieved from Eurostat the article compares Romania with the other EU
member states, particularly with the post-communist ones. Using four indicators, the
share of mean-tested benefits, the share of in-kind benefits, level of familism and total
aggregate social expenditures, the paper employs a k-mean cluster analysis aiming to
find out the place of the Romanian welfare state within EU. The results point out that
Romania belongs to a familist minimalist welfare regime, together with most of the other
post-communist countries. Countries in this group have low social spending and high
involvement of the family in the welfare provision.
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| ISSN: | 1640-1808 |
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