| Abstract [eng] |
This paper analyzes the development of Lithuanian social policy in the period 1990–2000, seeking to reveal how economic, social, and political transformations determined the direction of the social security system. The study is based on two theoretical approaches - path dependence and discursive institutionalism - which allow for a comprehensive explanation of both structural and ideological changes in social policy during the transition period. The results of the study show that after the restoration of independence, the Lithuanian social security system was formed not as a consistent ideological choice, but as an adaptation to deep economic shocks, hyperinflation, unemployment, and limited public finances. Early decisions in 1990–1995 acted as a critical juncture that established a contribution-based, limited redistributive social insurance model and created an institutional "lock" that limited the alternatives for subsequent reforms. The pension, health, labor market, and social support systems developed in a fragmented manner, constantly balancing between the principles of solidarity and the requirements of fiscal sustainability, and the final model at the end of the decade took on the characteristics of a liberal, corporatist, and clientelistic model. Empirical analysis based on primary sources – publications by Sodra and Esu – revealed that the legitimacy of social policy was created through the interaction of changing discourses. In the early period, a paternalistic discourse emphasizing state responsibility and social justice dominated, while later the narratives of solidarity, individual responsibility, and European modernization gained strength. This dynamic synthesis of discourses sought to shape public confidence in the direction of social policy during a period of reforms and economic upheaval. |
