Institutional Performance in Albania Regarding Social Protection Policies

Albania is often considered ''the most difficult case'' of regime change compared to other ex-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The long way, often too hard and chaotic, towards democracy and market economy put the country into a disadvantageous situation in comparison with other ex-communist countries because of the limited progress in these directions. Structural changes in Albania before and after the 90's are extraordinary. Now Albania is in a European integration phase, which means there's a series of standards to accomplish and political-economic challenges to be faced. In the first part, this paper will give a chronological view of social protection policies in Albanian going through the major historical phases such as communist regime and pluralist regime period. In the second part, our main focus will be the change in political regime and its consequences which dictated the need for new social protection policies. The inclusion policy or the policy of social protection in Albania is a component of a greater general frame named National Strategy for Development and Integration (SKZHI) 2007-2013, which brings in a single document the perspectives of social and economic stable development, in the framework of the integration in the UE and realization of the Millennial Objectives (SKZHI, 2008).The main social groups and social fields treaded by the policy documents such as National Strategy on Development and Integration, National Strategy on Social Protection, National Strategy on Social Inclusion will be explained. In the third part, social security and health care policies and institutions will be treated concluding with some findings from the empirical research.