A recently published report by worldwide NGO Oxfam shows that Albania is one of the lowest-ranked countries on the Commitment to Reducing Inequality (CRI) Index, a “global ranking of governments based on what they are doing to tackle the gap between rich and poor.”
The CRI Index consists of three components:
- Social spending on public services such as education, health, and social protection;
- Progressive taxation, where corporations and the richest individuals are taxed more in order to redistribute resources in society and ensure the funding of public services;
- Higher wages for ordinary workers and stronger labor rights, especially for women.
Northern European countries such as Sweden, Belgium, and Denmark are at the top of the list. Meanwhile, Albania is 4th worst country in the world as regards its commitment to reducing equality.
Note that out of 152 surveyed countries, Albania has the worst tax structure to tackle structural inequality.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Edi Rama has tried to pass himself off in the international press as a hero of social democracy in Europe. These numbers, however, show that under his government Albania has not made even a little progress in bettering the lives of the poorest people in society, neglecting health, education, and social protection, while maintaining a taxation structure that profits the oligarchs close to him.
