Object – Study on Minimum Income System Adequacy
The customer – Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania
The term of service provision – August-December 2022
SUMMARY
The aim of the Study is to assess the minimum income system in Lithuania, identify ways for its improvement in order to reduce monetary poverty and ensure more efficient use of resources. It will be pursued through five tasks:
- Evaluate measures to ensure a minimum income in the event of loss of employment, the birth of a child, illness, disability, as well as the disadvantaged working and non-working age groups.
- Identify gaps in the methodology for indexing social benefits and calculating the level of minimum consumption needs.
- Assess the system of minimum income legislation, its interrelationships, and optimization opportunities.
- Provide recommendations on minimum income protection measures, to develop at least two possible alternatives for each recommendation made.
- Prepare ex-ante impact assessments of recommended measures on poverty and income distribution.
The study will be organized by the European Institute of Health and Sustainable Development (EIHSD). EIHSD has rich experience in social research and development. The institute has brought together a team of nearly two dozen prominent researchers from universities and research institutes to carry out the study.
All team members carry out research in the field of social policy and social security in particular. Almost every one of them works on research projects, publishes research results in scientific journals, and teaches students.
The Researchers are assigned according to their competencies to work on one of the five tasks. The research coordinators are appointed to each of the tasks. A steering group has been set up to lead the project and coordinate the work.
The Study will be conducted using existing administrative data and research databases, and data will be additionally collected and analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods.
There are specific methods that will be used to complete each task of the Study. The specific selection of data sources and methods will ensure the reliability and quality of the Study, the validity, consistency, and practical applicability of the conclusions and recommendations.
The set of legal acts regulating the minimum income of the population will be used to perform the tasks of the Study. The Study will not only be based on income protection and benefit schemes defined in separate legal acts but minimum income security will be viewed systematically, combining all social protection schemes, analysing them from the point of view of complementarity.
During the preparation of the Study, periodical communication and cooperation will be maintained with the representatives of authorities as well as other stakeholders.