The Kosovar Basic Old Age Pension as Universalist Exception amidst Clientelist Fragmentation.
Guardiancich, I. (2018). The Kosovar Basic Old Age Pension as Universalist Exception amidst Clientelist Fragmentation. SEER Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in Eastern Europe, 21(2), 237–252.
Kosovo’s universal non-means-tested basic age pension provides an income floor to all resident citizens aged 65 and over, who do not qualify for other budget-financed schemes. It is regarded as administratively simple and cost-efficient. However, being a universalistic scheme, it is ill-equipped to provide for the clientelistic needs of Kosovo’s politicians. To free up budget resources, the Labour Ministry planned in 2016 to cut the zero pillar to finance the special schemes for war veterans and their families that mushroomed in recent years. This article argues that dismantling the basic pension is potentially harmful to the poorest strata of the elderly population and out of touch with Kosovo’s labour market reality.