Legal and Fiscal Context as well as the Capacities of Social Service Providers in Kosovo

This report was conducted as part of the project “Support for better social services for the most vulnerable groups in Kosovo”, funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Swedish Government and implemented by Save the Children Kosovo in cooperation with the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research. This report is a situation analysis of the decentralization of social services in Kosovo, which started in 2009 with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between ministries and the individual municipalities. Decentralization generally is viewed as a key democratic governance objective needed for the efficient delivery of services to people and to foster political integration, identification, and involvement. Decentralization implies a change in institutional culture, creating a socio-political context conducive to a transfer of authority and a transfer of finance from central government to local government in ensuring qualitative and effective service delivery. It is therefore important to ensure that the beneficiaries’ interests are taken into consideration during the implementation by local authorities.