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, Public Service Delivery, Safety Nets & Economic InclusionIRM Review
IRM Report: Albania End-of-Term Report 2014-2016, Albania Mid-Term Report 2014-2016
Starred: No
Early Results: Did Not Change
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Not Relevant
Implementation i
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/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/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.
Commitments
-
Create and implement integrity plans across all ministeries
AL0065, 2020, Anti-Corruption
-
Creation of online beneficial ownership register
AL0066, 2020, Anti-Corruption
-
Establish online portal for feedback on public service delivery
AL0067, 2020, E-Government
-
Expand open data portal and promote access
AL0068, 2020, Access to Information
-
Implement citizen assessment process to improve public service delivery
AL0069, 2020, E-Government
-
Establish directorate to improve citizens' access to legal aid
AL0070, 2020, Access to Justice
-
Publish more accessible and transparent information on Ministry of Justice website
AL0071, 2020, E-Government
-
Publish accessible budget information online for citizen engagement
AL0072, 2020, E-Government
-
Improve reporting on public finance information
AL0073, 2020, E-Government
-
Transparency of Government Reporting
AL0061, 2018, E-Government
-
e-Government
AL0062, 2018, Access to Information
-
Improved Business Regulation
AL0063, 2018, Capacity Building
-
Safe Communities
AL0064, 2018, Anti-Corruption
-
Improvement of Database/Portal with Coordinators’ Data of the Right to Information and Transparency Programs
AL0044, 2016, Access to Information
-
Budget Transparency
AL0045, 2016, E-Government
-
Integrated Registry of Citizens’ Housing
AL0046, 2016, Citizenship & Immigration
-
Establishment of Electronic Registry for Public Notification and Consultation
AL0047, 2016, E-Government
-
Digital Archive
AL0048, 2016, E-Government
-
Creating a Database for Archiving and Publication of Research Funds and Programs in Albania
AL0049, 2016, E-Government
-
Commitment to Publish Online Central and Local Government Legislation in Open Systems and for Free
AL0050, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Commitment to Open Standards for Contracting
AL0051, 2016, Access to Information
-
Implementation of the Law "On Protection of Whistleblowers", Capacity Building, Amendments and Its Bylaws
AL0052, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Provision of Electronic Services
AL0053, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Establishment of Multifunctional Centralized System for Building Permits
AL0054, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Establishment and Distribution of Digital Counters
AL0055, 2016, E-Government
-
Service Passport Standardization
AL0056, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Citizen Card
AL0057, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Electronic System of Registration of e-Prescription in the Republic of Albania
AL0058, 2016, E-Government
-
Electronic Monitoring System of Forests
AL0059, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
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
-
Standardization of Corruption Complaints
AL0031, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Electronic Registry of Energy and Industry Permits
AL0032, 2014, E-Government
-
Implementation of Public Expenses Module in "Open Data" Format
AL0033, 2014, Access to Information
-
Promoting OGP Values Among Local Authorities
AL0034, 2014, Public Participation
-
Database on Economic Assitance Beneficiaries
AL0035, 2014, E-Government
-
Electronic Portal on Water Resources Administration and Management
AL0036, 2014, E-Government
-
Single Window
AL0037, 2014, E-Government
-
Electronic Access to Protected Areas
AL0038, 2014, E-Government
-
National Geoportal
AL0039, 2014, E-Government
-
e-Albania
AL0040, 2014, E-Government
-
e-Document
AL0041, 2014, E-Government
-
Law on Whistleblowers Protection
AL0042, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Police Service Offices
AL0043, 2014, E-Government
-
Open Data Portal
AL0001, 2012, Access to Information
-
e-Acts
AL0002, 2012, E-Government
-
e-Parliament
AL0003, 2012, E-Government
-
Extension of the Governmental Network, GOVNET
AL0004, 2012, E-Government
-
e-Government Interoperability Framework, e-GIF
AL0005, 2012, E-Government
-
Government Datacenter
AL0006, 2012, E-Government
-
Excise System
AL0007, 2012, E-Government
-
Starting of the e-Tax System
AL0008, 2012, E-Government
-
Online State Matura
AL0009, 2012, E-Government
-
The Regulation on Ethics in Research and Publishing
AL0010, 2012, Education
-
Digitalization of Higher Education Accreditation Process
AL0011, 2012, E-Government
-
U-Gov System
AL0012, 2012, E-Government
-
Online Inspections of Courts and Judicial Hearings
AL0013, 2012, E-Government
-
Digitalization of the File Transfer Process
AL0014, 2012, Judiciary
-
e-Employment Project
AL0015, 2012, E-Government
-
e-Concessions Procedures
AL0016, 2012, Anti-Corruption
-
Amendment of the Law “On the Right to Information for Official Documents”
AL0017, 2012, Access to Justice
-
Drafting a New Law on "Notice and Consultation"
AL0018, 2012, Legislation & Regulation
-
Tracking Project
AL0019, 2012, E-Government
-
Digitalization of the Notary Register
AL0020, 2012, Access to Justice
-
Online Citizens’ Claims in the Judiciary System
AL0021, 2012, Access to Justice
-
Work Inspection, Online Complaint
AL0022, 2012, E-Government
-
Financial Module of All Educational Institutions
AL0023, 2012, Education
-
Audio and Video Recording of Judicial Hearings
AL0024, 2012, E-Government
-
e-Albania Portal
AL0025, 2012, E-Government
-
e-Inspection Portal
AL0026, 2012, E-Government
-
Portal Www.Gjykata.Gov.Al
AL0027, 2012, E-Government
-
Disclosure of the List of Payments Made Daily by the Government Units
AL0028, 2012, Access to Information
-
e-Procurement System for All Small Purchases of Public Procurement
AL0029, 2012, Anti-Corruption
-
Implementation of the EITI Recommendations
AL0030, 2012, Anti-Corruption