Abstract
This document is the first of a series of country profiles on specific areas of social and labour policies, which the ILO Central and Eastern European Team published.
These country profiles are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the social protection mechanisms of the countries of the region, ranging from social security schemes such as pensions, sickness and maternity benefits, employment injury and unemployment benefits, to health care, family benefits and social assistance. The profiles are intended to cover all statutory social protection benefits, but they do not seek to provide in-depth descriptions of social services, or non-statutory and indirect benefits provided on the basis of private initiative or by the state. These types of benefit are generally too heterogeneous to be described within the constraints of comparative technical papers.
The profiles limit themselves to a presentation of basic facts and the underlying structure of the national system. Although there is always an element of subjective interpretation, as far as possible the authors refrain from comments, judgements and advice. The profiles should serve as an information base and a starting point for the technical work of planners, managers and researchers in the field of social security. They do not set out to solve technical or policy problems within national social protection systems; they are intended as a service for both national and international users. By trying to piece together all the information available on national social protection systems, the authors hope to improve the understanding of such systems and encourage policy-makers and planners to examine the complex web of interactions between specific social protection subsystems in the course of their efforts to reform their national social protection system.
This country profile about Lithuania reflects the state of the law as of early 1994 and data up to 1993. It comes to the conclusion that as all other former Soviet republics Lithuania had to adapt its social protection system inherited from the Soviet past rapidly to the challenges of the new economic order. The advent of open unemployment required the introduction of an unemployment benefit system, and the advent of poverty the introduction of a social assistance scheme. Hyperinflation waves required adjustment of benefits, notably pensions.
Lithuania has reacted early, new social insurance legislation was adapted in summer 1991, and unemployment benefit legislation in late 1990. The new social assistance cash income support scheme was also already introduced in September 1990. Although more needs to be done, the author comes to the conclusion that on the whole - in view of the enormous challenge posed by the difficult and uncharted economic environment, Lithuania has reacted in a responsible way and there is a good chance that during a difficult transition a modern and sustainable social protection system will emerge.
Table of contents
I. DEMOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND
1. Demographic structure
2. Economic and social indicators
II. THE SOCIAl PROTECTION SYSTEM
1. Social Security
2. Universal Benefit System
3. The Social Assistance Scheme
III. CONCLUSION
SOURCES AND CONTACTS
STATISTICAL APPENDIX
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