Near Collapse
The Pension and Welfare System
Oleksandra Betlij, Lars Handrich
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The social security systems of Ukraine barely protect the contributors from the loss of income caused by age, illness, or unemployment. The contributions for social insurance are high, the benefits, however, are small. The pay-as-you-go pension insurance is running an enormous deficit and would have already collapsed without tax transfers. The unemployment insurance system has massively curtailed its offerings of benefits when it comes to claims. Social welfare does not benefit the truly needy. In the health system, services are only provided for cash out of pocket. Ten years after its establishment, the Ukrainian social insurance system has been ruined.
(Osteuropa 2-4/2010, pp. 257–270)