The Hrayr Maroukhian Foundation, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, has published a policy paper entitled «Սոցիալական Բարեփոխումները Հայաստանում» (“Social Reforms in Armenia”) in both Armenian and English, focusing on employment, healthcare, and social housing.
Download the PDF format of the English version.
This study, “Social Reforms in Armenia,” commissioned by the Hrayr Maroukhian Foundation (HMF) and made possible through the support of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) of Germany, provides a timely analysis of issues confronting policy-makers in Armenia for three critical sectors: Healthcare, Social Housing and Employment.
Applying best practices and evidence-based research to help understand these issues and to explore the implications of this research for the design and implementation of policy initiatives will lead to more modern policy-making. It will result in better public services, foster broader involvement of the public in the decision-making process, encourage greater citizenship and better utilize creativity in organizations and communities and the final result will be securing public confidence through greater transparency.
The aim of “Social Reforms in Armenia” is to supply high quality, independent research that will foster and inform the public policy debate in Armenia. By tapping into wider sources of information, perspectives and potential solutions, the government can improve the quality of policy making and build public trust in government, and contribute to strengthening democracy and civic capacity.
Ultimately, the aim of this study is to begin to embark upon a national discourse in those areas where there are serious shortcomings and in some cases a lack of an enduring and coherent policy. We foresee that “Social Reforms in Armenia” will be a first in a series of such studies to help broaden the scope of diverse approaches and begin to close the gap that exists between current government practices and the expectations of citizens for better access to services. The right of everyone to affordable and accessible healthcare, housing and employment are among the many challenges that the government of Armenia must address in the coming years if it wants to mitigate the dangers of social exclusion, disillusionment, migration and lack of trust in the authorities.
Both the Hrayr Maroukhian Foundation and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung stand firm in the belief that the objective of coherent public policy is to identify and solve problems, and by doing so improve the lives of citizens, contribute to their quality of life and ensure a just and socially sustainable society.
