Albania

The health equity and financial protection datasheets provide a picture of equity and financial protection in the health sectors of low-and middle-income countries.... Show More + Topics covered include: inequalities in health outcomes, health behavior and health care utilization; benefit incidence analysis; financial protection; and the progressivity of health care financing. The tables in this report show how health outcomes, risky behaviors and health care utilization vary across asset (wealth) quintiles and periods. The quintiles are based on an asset index constructed using principal components analysis. Benefit-Incidence Analysis (BIA) shows whether, and by how much, government health expenditure disproportionately benefits the poor. The distribution of subsidies depends on the assumptions made to allocate subsidies to households. Under the constant unit cost assumption, each unit of utilization is assumed to cost the same and is equal to total costs incurred in delivering this type of service divided by the number of units of utilization. Show Less -

Despite several attempts at reform, immovable property rights in Albania are not adequately secure and represent an important governance challenge. Problems have resulted... Show More + from incomplete first title registration, the lack of accurate cadastral records, and, in many cases, the absence of reliable evidence of ownership. Although Albania has adopted legislation calling for restitution or compensation for owners whose property was expropriated under communism, implementation is incomplete. In Albania, rapid internal migration has resulted in informal occupation of land and unauthorized construction on a mass scale, thus compounding the problems associated with the incomplete transfer of property. During the 1990s, as much as one-third of the population of some northern and mountainous regions migrated to urban, peri-urban, and coastal areas in search of income generation opportunities, despite the lack of adequate housing infrastructure or public service provision. Internal migration continues, albeit at a slower pace. Gaps in territorial planning legislation and administrative failures in the issuance of construction permits have made it difficult to obtain an appropriate construction permit, even when occupiers have legal title to the land. State authorities have largely failed to prevent new illegal occupation of land and illegal construction, and it is estimated that up to one-third of all buildings in Albania are illegal due to the occupier's lack of clear title and/or appropriate construction permit. This review of immovable property rights in Albania draws primarily upon this definition, which takes into account the popular legitimacy of state institutions and respect for the law among citizens and government institutions the softer aspects of governance that are essential to understanding how policies are made and implemented in practice and how public resources are used. Show Less -

The current education strategy in Albania places a strong emphasis on improving the overall quality of education. The national education strategy 2005-2015 and other... Show More + related education policy documents address several elements of education which have direct or indirect links to teaching and student learning. The renewed emphasis on the quality of education reflects the emerging reality that Albanian society and economy is closely interconnected to Europe where student and labor mobility is increasing. Albania supports Lisbon strategy which aims at improving competitiveness of Europe and emphasizes developing skills, attitudes and values together with traditional knowledge. Schools and teachers are expected to create an environment where not only knowledge is imparted but also entrepreneurships, life skills and the attitude for learning to learn are cultivated. In this context, understanding what students are learning is important as Albania carried out a number of students assessment, did and will participate in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 and 2009. It is equally important to understand how teachers actually teach to inform policies and strategies. This policy brief examines how teachers teach and how classrooms are organized in secondary schools in Albania, and highlight issues for consideration. Show Less -

As Albania aims to further integrate into the European and global markets and diversify its economy, the knowledge, skills and attitude of its labor force will be a... Show More + critical factor in encouraging investment and creating new employment opportunities. When the economy eventually moves into a more robust job-creation mode, the competitive advantage of firms will increasingly rely on innovative capacity, a key component of which is a workforce that has been educated and trained to work in a modern knowledge society. Education and training, however, have not kept up with the changing demands of the fast growing post-transition economy in Albania. Specifically, knowledge and skills imparted in most of the vocational education and training system are narrow in focus and the schools and training institutions are outdated and inflexible. This Policy Brief focuses on the issue of linkages between the labor market and general and vocational secondary education. It argues that in order to improve the preparation of workers for the European market and a globalizing economy, the formal schools system, especially at the secondary level, must be significantly reoriented; general and vocational secondary education must be more integrated to equip all students with competencies, knowledge, workplace skills and attitudes that could meet the demands of the fast changing competitive labor market. Specific occupational skills should be provided at the post-secondary level or through training, preferably in the workplace. Show Less -

On November 28th 2012, Albanians will celebrate the 100th anniversary of our nation's independence. Throughout these hundred years, our nation has suffered from major... Show More + partitions, brutal occupation, ethnic cleansing, and Orwellian dictatorships. But today, my country's difficult yet successful journey toward building freedom, democracy, and respect for the rule of law, and an open society that respects human and minority rights has managed to accomplish two fundamental objectives: NATO membership and solid progress in the process of integration into the European Union (EU). Two decades ago Albania was considered one of the three poorest countries in the world. Today Albania is ranked among the high-middle-income countries. Albania has made a quantum leap forward. Comprehensive reforms carried out in the country in the fields of economy, healthcare, education, social policies, and, particularly, our zero-tolerance fight against corruption, have transformed Albania into a secure country in Europe, and into one of the most attractive places for foreign investment. Albania is rapidly changing with each passing day. As ever, we remain committed to regional integration in the Western Balkans and to the further advancement of its EU prospective. Throughout the past two decades Albania's international credibility certainly has grown. Throughout the last 20 years on the road to building a democratic system and a free market economy, Albania and its people have had the precious help and solidarity of many friendly countries around the world. Albania has been privileged to have the support of a good number of donors and international financial institutions. The World Bank has always been an excellent partner for Albania. It has played a major role in supporting reforms, strengthening institutions, and financing investments across a wide range of sectors, such as infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, education, finance, environment, and governance. Show Less -

Since its emergence from a turbulent post-communist transition, Albania has achieved remarkable progress in economic and social development. Governance improvements,... Show More + especially in the effectiveness of public administration, have been instrumental to the country's impressive economic performance and improved human development outcomes. The Government has taken steps to improve public order and personal safety, particularly through efforts to crack down on violent and organized crime. Despite these positive developments, Albania continues to face significant governance challenges that will need to be overcome if the country is to achieve critical development objectives. Enduring politicization of the public administration and incomplete separation of powers, exemplified by instances of political interference in judicial processes, remain serious obstacles. The Government recognizes the need to accelerate progress on several dimensions of governance reform, particularly in light of its aspirations to European Union (EU) accession. This issue brief seeks to analyze the nature and recent evolution of Albania's governance environment, to identify the principal governance constraints to the achievement of development priorities-overall and in key sectors, and to outline recommendations for the way forward. Show Less -

This review of the water sector in Albania was prepared as a background paper to the World Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy for Albania for 2011-2014. It draws on... Show More + past analytical work on decentralization in Albania as well as relevant World Bank-financed operations such as the Water Sector Investment Project. Over the past decade, the World Bank has intensified its focus on governance as a key factor accounting for variations in development effectiveness. Through its long-standing engagement in Albania, the World Bank has supported institutional development and governance reforms to help strengthen the capacity of state institutions to deliver public goods and achieve development outcomes more effectively and efficiently. Governance is a key pillar of the Government’s National Strategy for Development and Integration for 2007-2013. In an effort to improve the performance of water supply and wastewater services, the Government has designed reforms on the basis of international best practice. In spite of these well-intentioned policy decisions, utility performance has been disappointing, in part because of excessively complex design and implementation of sector governance arrangements. There is a need to address water sector governance on several fronts - legal, institutional, economic, administrative, and social - all of which have implications for service performance. Show Less -

In many countries absent or poorly functioning prepayment mechanisms for health care expose families to the financial risks associated with accidents and sickness. The... Show More + report exploits a specially designed health governance and accountability module that was added to the 2008 wave of the Albania LSMS to gain additional insight into the determinants of informal payments and household perceptions and experiences of governance in the health sector more generally. This report is structured in four parts. Following the motivation, introduction and summary of the report's findings in part one, part two sets the institutional context for readers not already familiar with Albania's health system, and presents data showing public perceptions of health care and answers to subjective questions included in the health governance and accountability module of the 2008 Albania LSMS. These data have been combined with prior waves of the LSMS to show how the incidence of informal payments has changed in recent years. Part three shows the impact out-of-pocket payments -both formal and informal- have on household consumption and the incidence of poverty. Part fourth presents the results of statistical analysis, using techniques to match like-households over time, in order to identify significant factors at the household level that are associated with informal payments and how these have changed during a period of structural changes in the health system. Show Less -

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)/International Development Association (IDA) trust funds country report FY2009-FY2011 Q1 for Albania... Show More + includes: disbursements, approvals, and pending requests. Show Less -

Since 1998 Albania has experienced an important transformation that has lifted it into the ranks of upper middle income countries and has allowed a sharp reduction in... Show More + poverty. Growth averaged more than 6 percent per year between 1998 and 2010, the best performance in Europe. This helped to reduce absolute poverty by half, with the headcount rate falling from 25 percent of the population in 2002 to 12 percent in 2008. The recent period of global turmoil has dampened growth somewhat but not as sharply as in many other countries. These challenges suggest the need for a 'new growth agenda' and this is the central topic of the report. The report is organized into four chapters. Chapter one gives a macroeconomic overview, examines the potential vulnerabilities of the economy and proposes measures for maintaining macro-financial stability of the economy. It further elaborates the growth challenges Albania faces as newly arrived upper middle income country. Chapter two describes the human capital needs of the new growth agenda and focuses on education and skills. Chapter three examines the backbone infrastructure, while the final chapter addresses the investment climate and factors influencing the return on investment. The report provides a diagnosis of some of the key factors likely to drive future growth but without recommending specific products or areas for private investment. The report argues instead that the role of the government in this process is that of facilitator, removing the obstacles to investment and helping to provide information and institutions that private firms require to flourish. Show Less -