NATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2001 NATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2001 SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND HUMAN INSECURITY in FYR MACEDONIA Project leader: Dr. Ilija Todorovski Project secretary: Marijana Handziska Research team: Dr. Ljubica Coneva Dr. Ilija Todorovski Dr. Jorde Jakimovski Dr. Pande Lazareski Dr. Jelena Dimitrijevic Dr. Violeta Caceva Dr. Zoran Sulejmanov Dr. Mirjana Najceska Dr. Donco Donev Dr. Dimitar Eftimoski UNDP Support Team Vesna Dzuteska Bisheva UNDESA Support Team Peter Gudgeon Disclaimer The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the United Nations Development Programme. The designations employed and the presentation of the material do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations Development Programme or the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city of area, or of its authors, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Mention of firm names and commercial products does not imply the endorsement of United Nations. Book design Ladisav Cvetkovski Cover design Ladisav Cvetkovski Layout Rozalinda Trajkoska Ilievska Photography Andrej Ginovski Prepress and print SKENPOINT - Skopje CONTENTS FOREWORD 4 I. INTRODUCTION and OVERVIEW 7 Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview 8 ANNEX to Chapter 1: The Economic Transition, Macroeconomic Issues and Socio-Economic Insecurity - Some Observations 14 II. DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL INSECURITY AND EXCLUSION 19 A. ECONOMIC INSECURITY ARISING FROM THE TRANSITION PROCESS 20 Chapter 2 Insecurity and Social Exclusion: The Concepts and the Effects of Unemployment 21 Chapter 3 Employment and Earnings Related Insecurity (Insecurity in the work place) 31 Chapter 4 Insecurity in Business Relationships 46 Chapter 5 Insecurity Caused by Environmental Hazards 50 ANNEX to Chapter 5: Health 59 B. SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS 62 Chapter 6 Social Insecurity and Social Exclusion of the Rural Population 63 Chapter 7 Health Consequences of the Transition in Macedonia 70 ANNEX to Chapter 7: Health 79 Chapter 8 Insecurity Associated with Threats to Personal Safety 81 Chapter 9 Insecurity Derived from Unsettled Ethnic Relations 87 C. POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INSECURITY 96 Chapter 10 Influence of the Political System on the Security of Citizens of Macedonia 97 Chapter 11 Insecurity of Citizens in Relation to State Organs 104 Chapter 12 Social Exclusion and Insecurity arising from Inadequate Judicial Protection 109 Chapter 13 Legal Insecurity 115 III. POLICY IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 119 Chapter 14 Some Conclusions and Policy Recommendations: Governance Issues and Policies for Reducing Social Exclusion and Insecurity 120 ANNEXES TECHNICAL REMARKS 129 OPINION SURVEY RESULTS 132 OTHER STATISTICS 157 BIBLIOGRAPHY 163 FOREWORD MACEDONIA NATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT – 2001 SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND HUMAN INSECURITY IN originating in the transition process, insecurity deriving MACEDONIA from environmental threats, inter-ethnic relations, lack of personal security associated with petty crime, lack of It is a great honour for me to pen a few introductory judicial protection, insecurity in dealing with state comments for this – the fourth National Human Deve- administrative organs and legal insecurity, as well as the lopment Report issued by the UNDP office in Macedo- exclusion that accompanies these circumstances. nia. The dual themes of the 2001 NHDR - social The problems of social exclusion and human insecurity exclusion and human insecurity – are very apposite for are as real and present to any Macedonian as they could Macedonia given the difficult circumstances that it has possibly be. Over the ten year period since 1991, the faced over the past decade which have been compoun- country has been passing through, and continues to ded over the last five or so years by new and unexpected undergo, a painful and deep transition to a market events. My sincere congratulations to the team of economy that has led to a massive rise in unemployment, national experts from the University of Sts. Cyril and a sharp fall in family incomes, diminution in official Methodius, Institute for Sociological, Political and support services and a rise in general poverty levels – Juridical Research in Skopje led by Dr Ilija Todorovski widely based and extremely troubling for a large for all their hard work. proportion of the population. Along with this has been, not expectedly, a marked increase in the real and The twin themes of the NHDR explore the dimensions perceived levels of fear and stress on the individual and of the often traumatic personal, family, community and families. Prolonged unemployment is a personal tragedy collective feelings of insecurity and social exclusion that for all those individuals and families affected and has exist in Macedonia. Naturally the two themes are closely recognizable and well known social and psychological intertwined and deeply embedded in the soul and psyche consequences. We touch on this aspect in some depth in of Macedonians of all ethnic origins which is not the NHDR 2001. altogether unexpected given the tumultuous recent past. The analysis in the Report focuses objectively on the Compounding the pangs of economic transition – which problem of insecurity related to unemployment, employ- alone has led to serious traumatic experiences for even ment and the work place; social exclusion of the rural the average person in the street – and not only the population and economic insecurity in the work force poorest and most deprived - has been the juxtaposition 4 NATIONAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2001 IN FYR MACEDONIA of an unfortunate series of internal and external events Report and provide useful insights into the dimensions which have fed the general feeling of insecurity of the of human insecurity and social exclusion. populace. These included the break-up of former Yugoslavia – the traditional trading partner of Macedo- The Report itself took almost a year to prepare and was nia; the onset of international economic sanctions on a casualty of the recent circumstances in the country and FRY (in 1994) which also had a deep adverse impact on the region – so it has a very special poignancy. Under- Macedonia; the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo (1999); standably, the 2001 armed conflict had immediate the incipient civil war within Macedonia (2001) – all of adverse effects on the human security and social which has bred acute feelings of insecurity and fuelled cohesion. The complexity involved in assessing the root the potential for deeper ethnic conflict. It is a tribute to causes and ripple effects on the social and institutional the peoples and to the government of Macedonia that the fabric of the country merit separate extensive in-depth worst scenario of internal conflict has not materialized analysis. Rather than risk desultory and possibly despite the evident challenges that the country has faced. misleading treatment of that issue as a mere sideline to In spite of this these events have left their mark. this Report, we intend to consign the entire subject to the next issue of the NHDR. The second theme of this NHDR is the problem of social exclusion – which affects all persons to a degree but has We believe that the NHDR 2001 could become a useful had a major effect on two groups in society – the Roma reference source for a debate on some of the issues of and the inhabitants of outlying rural villages – and social exclusion and human insecurity in Macedonia – especially the hill communities. There is clear and that is our hope. Likewise UNDP will be closely looking incontrovertible evidence in the report on the extent of at the Report to seek guidance on how its future country the subtle and overt discrimination against the Roma programmes in Macedonia can be designed. community in Macedonia in terms of access to education and health facilities, housing, employment opportunities I commend this Report to all serious students and to the and so on. For the inhabitants of the more mountainous people of Macedonia and to the many friends of the (hill communities) and isolated areas in Macedonia there United Nations in Macedonia as a serious attempt to are different facets of social exclusion stemming largely look at these two important themes of the every day from their geographical isolation. scene in Macedonia. It is also hoped that the 2001 NHDR will provide a spur to some much needed These and many other aspects of daily life in Macedonia reforms in central and local governance – and not least are captured vividly in this NHDR – which is undoub- in the role of local governments for services delivery in tedly one of the most serious and substantial studies that Macedonia. has emerged on this topic in recent years. The NHDR is an excellent testimony to the quality of academic Finally I wish to extend my appreciation to the technical research in Macedonia – in terms of its objectivity and support for this Report provided by UNDESA – and the its capacity to generate new information. It poses assistance of Peter Gudgeon – Interregional Adviser challenging questions for the national and local authori- and to Ms Vesna Bisheva – in the UNDP office here ties and provides some useful suggestions of a policy in Skopje. To all members of the team – many nature for consideration. In this sense the NHDR is a congratulations. very well balanced document. While it challenges it also looks for solutions. The NHDR is concerned with