Optimal Fiscal Policy – Factors for the Formation of the Optimal Economic and Social Models

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-27
Author(s):  
George Abuselidze

Objective - The purpose of this paper is to develop the optimal economic and social model for the modern stage and analyze the Social Progress Index in Georgia. The research is based on the paradigm that "what we analyze, this determines the decisions we make". Consequently, emphasis is placed on issues that significantly affect human well-being. Methodology/Technique - In this top-down study, the empirical material is collected from official documents and public statements made by centrally placed politicians and administrators in Georgia as well as research conducted by international organizations in Georgia. The research database used is the legislative and normative acts adopted by the government of Georgia in the modern day, in particular: the National Statistics Office of Georgia, the Economic Development and Finance Ministries, the Georgian National Statistics Office, the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee and other related departments. Findings - This study shows that the formation of the optimal economic and social organization model of a country is particularly dependent on the selection and implementation of the most appropriate fiscal policy. The philosophy of social security is one of the greatest achievements of modern civilization. The present work is dedicated to the progress of human development – specifically, welfare issues. This provides the model for creating the optimal social security system of a population, with the following social system parameters: distribution of national income to the population and their families and addressing the issues of financing social security needs. Based on the study of the social experiences of social reform and the social indicators of the European Union, the alternate concept of prosperity and perfection is developed. These topics are the focus of the present work. Novelty - The empirical material contained within focuses on the period after 2005, when some important changes in political leadership took place. In 2003, Saakashvili became President of Georgia, Ivanishvili was elected as Prime Minister in 2012 and Kvirikashvili took over this position in 2015. During this time, there was also a shift in government social policy at a central level. The collection of empirical data for this study ends in 2017, giving a total study period of 12 years. Type of Paper: Empirical. Keywords: Fiscal Policy; Welfare; Social Security; Social Innovation; Household; Employment. JEL Classification: E24, E62, H31, H55, H61, R2, R51.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susie Riva-Mossman ◽  
Henk Verloo

The transformative process of investigating life stories and their impact on healthy aging has only recently been explored. The relationship between hope and individual healthy aging strategies is still an under-researched area. This study contributes to filling the knowledgeability gap. The authors examine senior stories of hope and the experience of self-determination and well-being. The study documents the social learning processes of older people as they narratively search for solutions and imagine a hopeful future of healthy aging. A group of four older women participated in a semi-structured filmed interview, questioned by an academic expert. Healthy aging emerged as an important concern among all participants, confirming the need to actively learn how to age well. This exploratory research brought forth thematic clusters, orienting shared value solutions to demographic change. Qualitative research methods reinforce lifelong, collaborative learning processes that not only produce scientific literature, but also put in place relational networks that can grow and endure over time, generating social innovation. The film documented the role of hope and resilience in healthy aging.


Author(s):  
N. I. Stavnycha

The purpose of the article is to research and analyze indicators that directly effect on the level of country’s human resources development, and assessment of Ukraine’s rating place among other countries. The following methods of scientific research, such as generalization, comparison and analysis were used to achieve the goal. The attention is focused on the fact that in conditions of post-industrial economy, the role of human and its knowledge increase, resulting in implementing the human development concept. This concept is aimed at forming measures to prevent the population impoverishment, unemployment, loss of health by stimulating human development, increasing its role in society, and, at the same time, increasing responsibility to society. The main task of the concept is to ensure the welfare of the person. The article shows the comparative assessment of Ukraine’s ranking among other countries  according to the human development index and its components. The following indicators such as gross national income per capita, average and expected duration of training, average life expectancy at birth were analyzed. It was agreed that economic ability to create and use human resources to a greater extent determines human well-being and is the main criteria for assessing the social security level. Since the background for well-being is income, education, and human health, social security becomes an integrating link between the modern concept of human development and the state social policy. In this manner, everything that reduces welfare, harms a particular person and society as a whole are factors that threaten social security. In this context human resources emerged as a key resource to the state development.


Author(s):  
Risto Heiskala

The neo-Weberian theoretical model, which Michael Mann presents in his The Sources of Social Power, reduces the multitude of relations of interaction in social networks to ideological, economic, military, and political sources of social power. Taking Mann’s IEMP model as its point of departure this chapter makes an attempt to develop such an approach in the theory of innovation, which would go beyond the ordinary dichotomy between technological and social innovation, recognizing instead that there are several types of innovation and there is a social aspect to all of them. By integrating Mann’s approach to the Social Grid model (Beckert 2010), the capabilities approach to well-being (Sen 1999; Nussbaum 2000) and to an extension of the IEMP model to a NACEMP model, which also includes nature (N), artefacts (A), and the whole culture (C) as sources of power, a new approach to power, innovations, and marginalization is outlined.


2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-40
Author(s):  
Carmen Kuhling ◽  
Kieran Keohane

Before the recent economic recession Ireland had become one of the most affluent societies in the world, and the so-called Irish social model of low taxes and low public services provision was seen as one to be emulated, particularly amongst the accession states to the EU. However, Ireland has also become one of the most unequal societies in the OECD, and one of the unhealthiest, measured by all of the standard morbidity and epidemiological indicators, and the social gradient of health corresponds closely with social inequality. Ireland's healthcare system, always relatively underdeveloped in comparison to most European countries, reflects social inequality; it is a two-tiered system wherein a minority with private health insurance enjoy access to good care and facilities, while the rest make do with an underdeveloped, under-resourced and overstretched public health system and subsidise the private services. The Irish social model is schizmogenic, generating and amplifying social inequalities. This is clearly visible in the domain of health, which has become a crucible of public de-legitimation and political foment. Ireland's problems are problems for the health and well-being of the European body politic, insofar as other members emulate the Irish model, cutting corporate taxes and reducing public services in a race to the bottom away from the Rhinish and Nordic social models.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
April Yanyuan Wu ◽  
Jody Schimmel Hyde

Older workers who develop significant limitations in health or functioning face declines in income and consumption and an increased likelihood of poverty in the years prior to retirement. We assess the extent to which those differences persist after reaching retirement age. We use the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) linked to Social Security Administration (SSA) records to compare the postretirement financial well-being of workers who experienced disability onset during their working years with those who did not, based on their claiming behavior for Social Security disability and retirement benefits. We find that even after full retirement age, gaps that emerged prior to retirement persist; those who experienced disability prior to retirement had lower incomes, were more likely to be in poverty, and had significantly lower wealth. Workers with disabilities who claimed Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) fared better than those who were rejected for such benefits, yet both groups were worse off than those who delayed claiming benefits until they were eligible for Social Security Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) benefits. Our findings indicate that any changes to the Social Security benefit structure must be mindful of the short- and longer term implications for already-vulnerable groups of workers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095001702110151
Author(s):  
Raffaella Valsecchi ◽  
Neil Anderson ◽  
Maria Elisavet Balta ◽  
John Harrison

Despite evidence supporting the application of health and well-being policies and practices in the workplace, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) still struggle to manage health at work. To address this gap, this research explores the role of a new occupational health (OH) adviceline assisting and managing health at work within SMEs. From our qualitative data we develop a typology of managerial response patterns, which can be summarised into four behavioural types: business case behaviour, social model behaviour, protective behaviour, and avoidant behaviour. The study posits that both the business case and the social justice arguments need to be acknowledged while implementing and managing health and well-being initiatives in SMEs. However, the combination of these two models is very difficult to achieve, and in addition to an OH adviceline, other interventions need to be implemented to support SMEs.


Author(s):  
Yevhen Plisko ◽  
◽  
Violetta Tsokalo ◽  
◽  

The article analyzes the activities of the social protection system and social services of Ukraine. The concept of «social protection» is defined, the classification of the social protection system according to the models of social policy of other countries (Austria, England, Germany, USA, France, Japan) is given. The only principle of social protection according to the given models is formulated – joint action of a complex of measures which are directed on increase of well-being and quality of life of the population (economic, household, social). The socially-oriented policy of Ukraine, which is aimed at overcoming poverty, introduction of social insurance and targeted assistance, solving problems related to unemployment, is indicated. It was found that the basic state social standard in the field of income is the subsistence level. The social service is defined as a multifunctional state executive body that acts as a guarantor in ensuring the stability of the functioning of the system of social protection and social security of socially vulnerable groups. It is established that social services are an organizational form of social work, because they implement the practice of social security. Ensure orderly communication and interaction of all social work bodies (departments and social services). The organizational structure of the social security system is an orderly connection and interaction of all bodies of social work (departments and social services), which provide general conditions for rational organization and normal functioning of the support system for individuals, groups of communities at risk of social risk. The leading direction in social security is to support a person who finds himself in a difficult life situation at the minimum (not lower) social and household level – the provision of cash benefits, social benefits, benefits, subsidies and more.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 140-153
Author(s):  
Samson Adewumi ◽  

Commenting on the significance of pension as a social security measure for cushioning the economic demands that comes with retirement, there are pockets of evidence advancing the commentaries that pension aid in striking an economic balance between the periods of retirement and active service. This statement captures the importance of pension as an essential social security measure. This paper assesses life after retirement and the struggle for pension in Osun State, Nigeria. Previous studies have largely focus on pension policies and reforms, with a scare attention on life after retirement experiences and struggle for pension in Nigeria. The exploratory research design was applied to advance the limit of knowledge on pension and retirement discourse with a total of 28 pensioners selected for interviews through the snowball and convenient recruitment strategies. The Social Contract Theory was utilized to understand major assumptions raised in the study. Findings reveal a number of life after retirement challenges for pensioners including inability to access medical treatment, difficulty in providing for families due to non-payment of pension and strenuous pension verification exercise among others. It was equally shown that the social security responsibilities of the Osun State government towards the welfare of pensioners in the state have been hijacked with political propaganda, while pensioners are left to go through untold hardship. The study recommends for the constitution of a separate pension budget for pension management effectiveness in the state. Lastly, it is recommended that the Osun State government be committed to the well-being of pensioners by avoiding all forms of politicking with the welfare of those who have served the state in various capacities during their active years.


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