Problems and Social Support Provided by Local Authorities

The report looks at the current social welfare crisis and identifies nine emerging crisis zones, considered as direct consequences of the significant changes which have taken place in the political and economic fields during the previous six to eight years. These include, a high mortality rate; deteriorating general health conditions; continuous reduction in births and destabilization of families; a narrowing down of educational and retraining possibilities, mainly with certain strata of the society; the erosion of the middle class due to an increase in the number of people descending to below the minimum standard of living; increasing unemployment, much of which will be permanent; deterioration of home conditions, and an increasing number of homeless; a significant broadening of the hidden economy and deterioration of public safety, including crime. The NHDR looks at the reasons behind the crisis and makes several recommendations in terms of a future national human development policy. The report then elaborates certain elements of its policy for managing poverty and the stabilization of the middleclass.