A country profile
Abstract
This document is the third of a series of country profiles on specific areas of social and labour policies, which the ILO Central and Eastern European Team published.
Those country profile 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 Poland reflects the state of the law as of early 1994 and data up to 1993. It comes to the conclusion that Poland undertook an early start to reshape its social protection system. Parliament passed a law on employment and unemployment already in 1985. In response to new challenges the law has since been modified several times. In November 1990 the law on social assistance was enacted; it also has been modified. A draft law on the reform of the social insurance system was submitted to Parliament in 1992 introducing for example employee contributions and different accounts for different benefits but the political discussions have not yet reached a conclusion. The introduction of health insurance financing has been discussed in various government committees for at least two years but the Government has not so far taken a position. The author is of the opinion that overall social protection reform in Poland was thus still in a state of flux. Taking time, of course after the most pressing needs have been met (unemployment and social assistance benefits), may will turn out to be beneficial. The introduction of new benefit and financing systems (e.g., national health insurance) will have long-term social, financial and economic consequences which must be analysed carefully.
Table of Contents
DEMOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND
1. Demographic structure
2. Economic and social indicators
II. THE SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM
1. Social Security and Universal Benefits
2. The Social Assistance Scheme
III. CONCLUSION
SOURCES AND CONTACTS
STATISTICAL APPENDIX
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