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2. Participation in a Decentralized Housing Allowance Program in a Transition Economy
- Author:
- Tatiana Lykova, Sergei Sivaev, Raymond J. Struyk, and Ekaterina Petrova
- Publication Date:
- 05-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- When Russia's housing allowance program, the country's first means-tested program, was introduced in 1994, it was truly innovative. But there were difficulties from the start, many arising from the division of authority for setting program parameters among different levels of government and the potential for variation in the treatment of similar households in different cities. In 1996, the program's original simple basis for benefit determination was seriously impaired by the introduction of different principles for very low-income households. Moreover, local governments have exhibited a willingness to vary benefits from year-to-year, depending on political and budgetary considerations. The analysis presented here documents the impact of these variations on participation rates in a sample of Russian cities. Large inequities are obviously present in the treatment of similar households from city to city. Indeed, it is questionable whether the program as currently configured is fulfilling the social safety net function envisioned for it in the original legislation.
- Topic:
- Development, Government, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Asia
3. Strengthening Local Administration of Social Assistance in Russia
- Author:
- Raymond J. Struyk and L. Jerome Gallagher
- Publication Date:
- 11-2001
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- A hallmark of the administration of social assistance under the socialist regimes in Eastern Europe and the USSR was the universal nature of eligibility for benefits, either to all citizens or to categories of deserving citizens, e.g., the physically handicapped. During the transition period since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation has taken limited steps to improve the targeting of benefits. The challenge to improvement is acute because the administration of the great majority of programs rests with agencies of local government. The question addressed here is how amenable local program administration is to improved targeting and more progressive program administration in general. Presented is an analysis of the results of assessments of two pilot programs implemented in two Russian cities in 2000–2001. The “school lunch pilot” introduced means testing in the school lunch program on a citywide basis; eligible families receive cash payments and all children pay the same price for their lunches in cash. The “jobs pilot” is a new, local means-tested program that provides cash support to families while unemployed workers search for work; continued receipt of funds is conditional on a minimum job search effort. We find that both programs were successfully implemented and that there was little resistance to the sharper targeting. On the other hand, a variety of problems with program administration were identified—problems that need to be addressed if program integrity and credibility are to be maintained.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Asia
4. Russian Nonprofits as Contracted Providers of Municipal Social Services: Initial Experience
- Author:
- Raymond J. Struyk and Kirill Chagin
- Publication Date:
- 08-2001
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- In the Russian Federation the delivery of social services to deserving population groups is mostly the responsibility of municipalities and other local governments. Services are delivered by municipal agencies. One way to inject competition into the delivery system is for local government to hold competitions to contract for social service delivery. The competitions can be open to nonprofit organizations (NPOs), some of which have been providing assistance in recent years to needy individuals and families similar to those that would be contracted.
- Topic:
- Economics, Human Welfare, and Non-Governmental Organization
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Asia
5. Local Administration of Social Assistance Programs in Russia
- Author:
- Raymond J. Struyk and Burton Richman
- Publication Date:
- 10-2000
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Urban Institute
- Abstract:
- Competent administration is fundamental to successful reform of social assistance programs in transition economies. Only with such administration is there assurance that benefits are being delivered as intended in enabling legislation. Moreover, the perceived efficiency and fairness of administration influences the public's views of the new programs. In the Russian Federation local governments have primary responsibility for the administration of social assistance programs enacted by all levels of government
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Asia