Return Migration and Human Rights in Albania: the Case of Social Protection

This article analyzes the existing social protection framework in Albania and its provisions for return migrants. Postcommunist and transitional Albania is characterized by strong demographic changes with direct impact on social protection and social rights. Among other influencing factors, migration has been of utmost importance. This article considers the specifics of migration in Albania, comparing the problems and needs that have been created with policy solutions provided. It argues that Albania, one of the top recipients of financial remittances in the world, has not been able to produce policies that effectively respond to the pace of political and socioeconomic change the country is undergoing, particularly in relation to migration. Focusing on social protection in the framework of return migration, findings demonstrate that in postcommunist Albania, policy-making has lagged behind returnees’ needs, indicating a significant lack of evidence-based policymaking.