Decent Work Diagnostics for a Western Balkan Country Stuck in the Neo-liberal Doctrine: The Case of the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

The paper proposes a strategy of ‘decent work diagnostics’ for finding out the policy priorities for a country with poor decent work conditions. It is aimed at identifying the most binding constraints on decent work, and setting policies that will target these constraints. The strategy provides a focus on the policies necessary for a country to progressively achieve decent work while at the same time stopping policy makers from using a ‘laundry-list’ approach, which typifies neo-liberal policies. This methodology is applied to a country from the Western Balkans – the Republic of Macedonia – and it is shown that the country’s economic governance strongly resists the implementation of the decent work agenda. The key policy priorities should be oriented towards addressing income inequality and political patronage.