Social Insurance in Yugoslavia

Abstract

Social security programs have come to be considered basic to all modern societies, regardless of the economic system. As one might expect however, since public welfare is one of the basic tenets of Marxism, the socialist countries have especially stressed the social security concept. This article examines the social security system of one of these socialist countries. The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia is guided by the principle that the economy should be directed toward socially prescribed goals, and the country's social security system is used in close conjunction with other social programs in pursuit of those goals. A substantial share of the income of each Yugoslav citizen takes the form of vital services that are provided by the state. These services, of which the social security benefits are only one portion, are held to be necessary for the survival, progress, and moral health of the nation. The basic philosophy of the social security system in Yugoslavia views the benefits as a part of the compensation the worker receives for the contribution which he makes to the total productive effort. As one Yugoslav author states: