Formation of Social Policy in Post-Conflict Kosovo

Abstract

This chapter has two objectives: the first expository, the second analytical. The first is simply to detail the process of social policy formation in Kosovo in the wake of the international intervention in 1999, identifying major actors and their roles. The experience of Kosovo was extraordinary in this sector because of the central role that international relief NGOs played. The specific operations of these NGOs established an institutional foundation for the infrastructure of the later Kosovo public and private social welfare regimes. The second objective is to analyze the social protection regime that emerged. Concerning the relationship between the type of social protection regime that has been developed in Kosovo, and the manner in which that regime was developed, I argue that the regime that was established relied heavily on the practices of the international humanitarian NGO community, and mostly excluded the traditional actors of social policy formation. Following Esping-Anderson’s (1990) typology, I argue that the post-conflict social protection regime in Kosovo best fits into the “liberal” category. In particular the Social Assistance Scheme and the Pension Scheme are premised on an individualist, rather than universalistic, interpretation of social rights. Both these major social programs feature very modest benefits, and guarantee only the bare minimum of social protections.