Publication: Romania : Local Social Services Delivery Study, Volume 2. Main Report
Date
2002-01-16
ISSN
Published
2002-01-16
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The study seeks to identify
institutional, and procedural factors which may facilitate,
or hamper the effectiveness of social services, and
inter-governmental fiscal arrangements. Based on existing
research on decentralization, the success of decentralized
service delivery depends on factors, that include the
quality of intergovernmental institutions, a stable fiscal
framework, and a well established civil society, and social
structure. The study focuses on public social services,
where local governments play the greatest role, and,
throughout the report, the greatest emphasis is on social
assistance benefits, and services, addressing those cash
benefits which are delivered, and financed by local
governments, including national programs such as birth
grants, emergency assistance, and the main poverty
alleviation program. In education, the study focuses on
compulsory, and secondary education, though it does not
address specialized secondary education, which is under the
purview of central ministries. The study comprises two
volumes: volume 1 provides an overview of the issues,
summarizes major findings, and presents policy options;
volume 2 includes the detailed discussion, and analysis, and
presents the empirical underpinnings of the report. The
study finds that fiscal decentralization of poverty
alleviation benefits, has undermined its effectiveness, and
eroded social safety nets; thus the government is preparing
the Minimum Income Guarantee Program Law to centralize
financing of social assistance cash benefits. And, education
seems to be the policy area with greatest potential for
further decentralization, suggesting a careful capacity
evaluation to decide whether to attain complete autonomy.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2002. Romania : Local Social Services Delivery Study, Volume 2. Main Report. © Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15438 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”