Fokina T.V.Center for Fiscal Policy, Financial Research Institute, Moscow, Russian Federation fokina@nifi.ru
Importance Federal, regional and local governments in Russia offer a wide variety of social benefits, both monetary and in-kind. However, there is no unified database of all recipients, and coordination of social support measures between different levels of government is poor. This leads to inefficiency and overspending. Objectives The purpose of the study is to analyze best practices in creating and maintaining unified registries for social benefit recipients, and to formulate findings to inform policy makers. Methods The methodology rests on the comparative analysis of international practices in developing and using single registries for social benefit recipients. Results The findings show that there is a need for decentralized operation of the social information system through a common platform, enabling information exchange among the participants. Coordination and administrative functions related to the unified system of social information should be separated from the management of specific programs for social protection. Among other requirements for the system to be efficient are clear allocation of functions and duties of all participants, balance of their interests, high quality of information stored in the system, existence of unique identification code for all recipients. Conclusions and Relevance Considering the positive and negative international experience may help avoid costly errors and considerably increase chances of Russia in creating an effective integrated system of social information.
Keywords: social expenditures, social protection, social benefits, social security, unified registry
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