Social Policy As Theory And Practice In Bulgaria

The development of social policy in Bulgaria is closely related to social and economic development of the country but it is also influenced by the common European trends and priorities in last decades. Current study examines the theory and the practice of social policy in the context of its broader understanding focusing on active policy and especially considering employment encouragement and skills management. Main conclusions put the accent on the advantages of active policy and the importance of following a purposeful policy for raising employability and developing a functioning labor market.

The development of social policy in Bulgaria is closely related to social and economic development of the country but it is also influenced by the common European trends and priorities in last decades. Current study examines the theory and the practice of social policy in the context of its broader understanding focusing on active policy and especially considering employment encouragement and skills management. Main conclusions put the accent on the advantages of active policy and the importance of following a purposeful policy for raising employability and developing a functioning labor market.

Current paper presents challenges to development of labor market and social policies in transition periods through the example the transition from planned to market economy in the Republic of Bulgaria. Some important implications are made about passive and active social programs as a whole and in particular about advantages and disadvantages of national social programs targeted to overcoming social marginalization. The specific example of the National program “From social support to employment” is discussed as a good practice in the attempts to conduct an active social policy addressing to some extent education and qualification problems and providing useful recommendations for future development of social policies in the country, organization and implementation of social programs and measures on different levels and assessments of their effectives.

The paper examines theoretical basis of labor market and social policy in connection to their development in conditions of the transition period in Bulgaria as a model containing common and specific features. The main characteristics and concepts of the labor market are discussed reflecting specific trends and explanations of the states of labor market. Labor market is scrutinized as a dynamic system and analyses and comparisons to other markets are made. Labor market policies on employment and unemployment are considered too as well as their importance in periods of economic and/or financial crises.

The contributors investigate policy paradigms and their ability to explain the policy process actors, ideas, discourses and strategies employed to provide readers with a better understanding of public policy and its dynamics.

Why do we need evidence based youth policies? International in scope, this book presents a systematic and interdisciplinary reflection on what has been termed the “magic triangle”, i.e., the relationship between youth policies, youth research and practical youth work, based on the necessity of organising knowledge exchange between different actors in the youth field. On this basis, researchers from across the globe analyse and discuss youth policy development, the theories that underlie youth policy, as well as the models and impact of youth policy in different societies. They respond by: - Analysing the impact of economic, social and cultural change on young people in different world regions, locations and social contexts; - Presenting and explaining theories of youth; - Discussing strategies for the development and implementation of youth policies in different world regions; - Evaluating the impact of current youth policies at regional, national and international levels; - Analysing and discussing applied models of cross sectional policy and practice in the youth sector; - Discussing contributions of youth research to the development of evidence based youth policies in areas such as values, employment, participation, citizenship, migration, social exclusion and vulnerability.