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Albania

Database on Economic Assitance Beneficiaries (AL0035)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: Albania Second Action Plan for 2014-2016

Action Plan Cycle: 2014

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth

Support Institution(s): State Social Service

Policy Areas

E-Government

IRM Review

IRM Report: Albania End-of-Term Report 2014-2016, Albania Mid-Term Report 2014-2016

Starred: No

Early Results: Did Not Change Did Not Change

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Not Relevant

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

The Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, in close collaboration with the State Social Service, in the framework of the reform for poverty alleviation, increase of transparency, service quality and effective use of budgetary funds and exclusion of abusive cases in the economic assistance scheme, has undertaken the initiative to establish the National Electronic Registry of beneficiaries of Economic Assistance. The administration of benefits is hindered by inadequate capacity, lack of information system, supervision and controls. Albania currently has no national electronic registry of economic assistance seekers and the administration of receiving welfare benefits takes place locally with paper documentation. This consequently leads to (a) inefficiency in the application and granting of benefits (higher transaction costs), (b) weaknesses in supervision and control of fraud and error, and (c) monitoring and evaluation of ineffective social policy. The implementation of the new system will help improving the effectiveness of State Social Service by identifying families in need, will improve the evaluation of beneficiaries form applicant families and will exclude abusive cases in the Economic Assistance Scheme

IRM Midterm Status Summary

For Commitment details, see Albania Mid-Term Report 2014-2016.

IRM End of Term Status Summary

Commitment 2.1. Database on Economic Assistance Beneficiaries

Commitment Text: The Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, in close collaboration with the State Social Service, in the framework of the reform for poverty alleviation, increase of transparency, service quality and effective use of budgetary funds and exclusion of abusive cases in the economic assistance scheme, has undertaken the initiative to establish the National Electronic Registry of beneficiaries of Economic Assistance.

The administration of benefits is hindered by inadequate capacity, lack of information system, supervision and controls. Albania currently has no national electronic registry of economic assistance seekers and the administration of receiving welfare benefits takes place locally with paper documentation. This consequently leads to (a) inefficiency in the application and granting of benefits (higher transaction costs), (b) weaknesses in supervision and control of fraud and error, and (c) monitoring and evaluation of ineffective social policy.

The implementation of the new system will help improving the effectiveness of State Social Service by identifying families in need, will improve the evaluation of beneficiaries from applicant families and will exclude abusive cases in the Economic Assistance Scheme.

Responsible institution: Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth

Supporting institution(s): State Social Service

Start date: 2014 End date: 2016

Commitment Aim:

The commitment aims to improve the effectiveness of Albania’s social assistance scheme by establishing the National Electronic Registry of Beneficiaries of Economic Assistance. The registry is part of the Social Assistance Modernization Project for Albania, a joint initiative of the World Bank Albania and the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth (MSWY). In 2013, the registry was piloted in Tirana, Durres, and Elbasan.

This important initiative can ensure more efficiency in financial aid, reduce administrative burdens, and shorten the application process for beneficiaries. However, the system is only for internal government use.

Status

Midterm: Substantial

The government’s midterm self-assessment report states that this commitment is completed. However, at the one-year mark, the registry was not fully operational. As of July 2015, the MSWY and the State Social Services were monitoring implementation of the system in the pilot regions. Measures were undertaken to expand the links with other governmental databases and include additional modules, such as the electronic registry for people with disabilities. The registry was expected to be fully operational at the national level after 2016. IRM progress report, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/Albania_Second%20IRM%20Report_for%20public%20comment.pdf.

End of term: Substantial

The implementation of the registry has progressed during 2016 as per the Social Assistance Modernization Project. The World Bank’s latest midterm review of the project rates its implementation as moderately satisfactory due to “delayed implementation of a few key activities.” World Bank, Albania Social Assistance Modernization Project, http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/137141468008128435/Albania-Social-Assistance-Modernization-Project-P122233-Implementation-Status-Results-Report-Sequence-07).

In April 2015, the Parliament approved amendments to the Law on Social Assistance and Services (2005) which affect the criteria and procedures for economic assistance. According to the government’s end-of-term self-assessment (September 2016) report, the system has five modules, is fully implemented in the three pilot regions, and is interconnected with eight state institutions, including tax authorities and the employment service. By the end of 2016, the registry is expected to cover the remaining nine regions of Albania. The World Bank project, which finances the registry, is set to end in June 2017.

Did it open government?

The National Electronic Registry of Beneficiaries of Economic Assistance started operating in three regions of Albania in June 2014. The system helps assess applications and plays a role in control and verification processes. Additionally, the system assists in electronic payments. The registry is interlinked with other governmental databases—such as the civil registration database, social security, the state employment service, the immovable property register, and the national center of registration of businesses—in order to evaluate applications. The digitalization of the economic assistance system has served to mitigate abuses. However, the media has reported several cases of unfair exclusion from economic assistance. The ombudsman’s annual report (2014) presented a total of 184 individual or group complaints about economic assistance, and it has issued a recommendation for the MSWY. Ombudsman, Annual Report 2014, http://www.avokatipopullit.gov.al/sites/default/files/ctools/RAPORTI%202014.pdf.

The registry is an important tool that promotes effective and evidence-based social policies. However, as noted in the IRM midterm report (September 2015), the registry does not include elements that accentuate transparency, participation, access to information, or public accountability. There is no evidence that, as implemented, this commitment has advanced key OGP values.

Carried forward?

This commitment is not carried forward in the next action plan.

Albania's Commitments

  1. Transparency of government reporting

    AL0061, 2018, E-Government

  2. E-government

    AL0062, 2018, E-Government

  3. Improved business regulation

    AL0063, 2018, Capacity Building

  4. Safe communities

    AL0064, 2018, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  5. Improvement of database/portal with coordinators’ data of the right to information and transparency programs

    AL0044, 2016, E-Government

  6. Budget transparency

    AL0045, 2016, E-Government

  7. Integrated Registry of Citizens’ Housing

    AL0046, 2016, Citizenship and Immigration

  8. Establishment of electronic Registry for public notification and consultation

    AL0047, 2016, E-Government

  9. Digital archive

    AL0048, 2016, E-Government

  10. Creating a database for archiving and publication of research funds and programs in Albania

    AL0049, 2016, E-Government

  11. Commitment to publish online central and local government legislation in open systems and for free

    AL0050, 2016, Capacity Building

  12. Commitment to Open Standards for Contracting

    AL0051, 2016, E-Government

  13. Starred commitment Implementation of the Law "On protection of whistleblowers", capacity building, amendments and its bylaws

    AL0052, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  14. Provision of electronic services

    AL0053, 2016, Capacity Building

  15. Establishment of multifunctional centralized system for building permits

    AL0054, 2016, Capacity Building

  16. Establishment and distribution of digital counters

    AL0055, 2016, E-Government

  17. Service passport standardization

    AL0056, 2016, Capacity Building

  18. Citizen Card

    AL0057, 2016, Capacity Building

  19. Electronic system of registration of e-prescription in the Republic of Albania

    AL0058, 2016, E-Government

  20. Electronic Monitoring System of Forests

    AL0059, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  21. Integrated electronic system for professional licensing of individuals and legal entities that will operate in the field of study design and supervision of commissioning of construction works

    AL0060, 2016, E-Government

  22. Standardization of corruption complaints

    AL0031, 2014, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  23. Electronic registry of energy and industry permits

    AL0032, 2014, E-Government

  24. Implementation of public expenses module in "open data" format

    AL0033, 2014, E-Government

  25. Promoting OGP values among local authorities

    AL0034, 2014, OGP

  26. Database on Economic Assitance Beneficiaries

    AL0035, 2014, E-Government

  27. Electronic portal on water resources administration and management

    AL0036, 2014, E-Government

  28. Single window

    AL0037, 2014, E-Government

  29. Electronic access to protected areas

    AL0038, 2014, E-Government

  30. National geoportal

    AL0039, 2014, E-Government

  31. E-­Albania

    AL0040, 2014, E-Government

  32. E-­document

    AL0041, 2014, E-Government

  33. Starred commitment Law on whistleblowers protection

    AL0042, 2014, Legislation & Regulation

  34. Police Service Offices

    AL0043, 2014, E-Government

  35. Open data portal

    AL0001, 2012, Open Data

  36. e-Acts

    AL0002, 2012, E-Government

  37. e-Parliament

    AL0003, 2012, E-Government

  38. Extension of the governmental network, GOVNET

    AL0004, 2012, E-Government

  39. e-government interoperability framework, e-GIF

    AL0005, 2012, E-Government

  40. Government datacenter

    AL0006, 2012, E-Government

  41. Excise system

    AL0007, 2012, E-Government

  42. Starting of the e-Tax system

    AL0008, 2012, E-Government

  43. Starred commitment Online state matura

    AL0009, 2012, E-Government

  44. The regulation on ethics in research and publishing

    AL0010, 2012, Education

  45. Digitalization of higher education accreditation process

    AL0011, 2012, E-Government

  46. U-Gov system

    AL0012, 2012, E-Government

  47. Online inspections of courts and judicial hearings

    AL0013, 2012, E-Government

  48. Digitalization of the file transfer process

    AL0014, 2012, Judiciary

  49. e-Employment project

    AL0015, 2012, E-Government

  50. e-Concessions procedures

    AL0016, 2012, E-Government

  51. Amendment of the law “on the right to information for official documents”

    AL0017, 2012, Justice

  52. Drafting a new law on "notice and consultation"

    AL0018, 2012, Legislation & Regulation

  53. Tracking project

    AL0019, 2012, E-Government

  54. Digitalization of the notary register

    AL0020, 2012, E-Government

  55. Online citizens’ claims in the judiciary system

    AL0021, 2012, E-Government

  56. Work inspection, online complaint

    AL0022, 2012, E-Government

  57. Financial module of all educational institutions

    AL0023, 2012, Education

  58. Starred commitment Audio and video recording of judicial hearings

    AL0024, 2012, E-Government

  59. Starred commitment e-Albania portal

    AL0025, 2012, E-Government

  60. e-Inspection portal

    AL0026, 2012, E-Government

  61. Starred commitment Portal www.gjykata.gov.al

    AL0027, 2012, E-Government

  62. Disclosure of the list of payments made daily by the government units

    AL0028, 2012, Fiscal Transparency

  63. e-Procurement system for all small purchases of public procurement

    AL0029, 2012, E-Government

  64. Implementation of the EITI recommendations

    AL0030, 2012, Extractive Industries