New Management Practices in Social Security

Social security institutions around the world continue to face pressures which motivate them to improve the delivery of their programs and benefits while reducing administrative costs. This chapter discusses some of the areas where new management practices have been or are being implemented by social security institutions. It focuses on the common challenges faced by organizations involved in redesigning all or part of their administration. For many social security institutions, the complete re-invention of their administration represents change on a scale which exceeds their previous experience. The experience of the Social Insurance Bank Uruguay is an example of large-scale change in social security administration. In implementing changes in the way they administer social security programs and benefits, most institutions identified improved client service as one of their main objectives. Encouraged by the fraud-reduction results of information exchanges within their own countries, some institutions have concluded or are considering similar administrative arrangements and understandings at the international level.