Marianna Szinek Kénesy – Elvira Orbán – Attila Juhász: Family Support in the Slovak Public Policy
Slovakia could eye-witness vast demographic changes after the transition from state socialism to market economy. The formation of population composition reasoned, and even made it inevitable to re-create family support systems and policy, that after the creation of the independent Slovak Republic went through gradual and permanent changes.
The responsibility of the country in connection to the social and economic safety of families is the creation of such political, legal, taxation and institutional conditions that support the growth of economic performance and the reaching of macro-economic equilibrium.
Concerning the social sphere the Slovak government has to follow such policy that is in harmony with the traditional European values. What is meant by this is mainly the maximalisation of individual responsibility, equality of rights and possibilities of self-realisation, and/or the task of the community to take care of those in disadvantaged position from social point of view.
The successfulness of new reforms in effect from 2004 is well-evidenced by immense positive reactions at home and abroad. The study of the World Bank in 2005 – oriented on the examination of the whole reform package – stated that the changes had been proved to be advantegous from both macro-economic and micro-ecoomic point of view. Like all legal changes, this reform package also had the possibility of raising the living standard of certain social groups, although it is doubtless that the Slovak reforms in 2004 resulted „potential Pareto-improvement.”
As a result of disadvantegous demographic changes, Slovakia’s population number at the recent production rate is necessary decreases. If a society wants to remain, it is necessary to find the way to ensure simple reproduction of the population number of following generations. Low number of children at the decrease of population number can create numerous such economic and social problems of which consequences have not been cleared out yet. Is it possible to change this process and how?
The study tries to find answers mainly for the above-mentioned questions. The firs part is on the demographic and social and economic situation of families, the second part introduces the division of family support measures, its goals and possible effects, the third part shows the family supporting elements of the Slovak public policy, while focusing on the effects of taxation changes in case of certain family models.