Economic Aspects of the Effectiveness of Systemic Support for Individuals Entitled to Alimony in a Regional Perspective (Poland)

Abstract

The system for assisting individuals entitled to child support provides financial support to children in situations where close relatives and legal enforcement of child support obligations fail. According to data from Statistics Poland (GUS ŚNR 2024), 2.0 million payments from the child support fund were made in 2023, amounting to a total of PLN 870.4 million, while the total amount of outstanding child support debt exceeded PLN 14 billion. In line with the principles of welfare economics, this system, through resource redistribution, reducing inequality, and alleviating poverty, has the potential to enhance overall social welfare while minimizing the societal costs of uncollectible child support. Additionally, the mechanisms embedded in the system to influence child support debtors are designed to reduce the societal burden of its operation. The realization of these benefits depends on the effectiveness of the system in fulfilling its designated functions. The primary objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the Polish system for assisting individuals entitled to child support from a regional perspective and in terms of the economic aspects of its operation. The analysis covers both the support provided to individuals facing financial hardship due to uncollectible child support and the institutional measures aimed at increasing the accountability of those obligated to pay child support.

The analysis of the effectiveness of the support system for individuals entitled to alimony in Poland, conducted from a regional perspective, has provided conclusions that help identify challenges related to the implementation of its objectives. The framework of support established by the provisions of the Act on Assistance for Persons Entitled to Alimony (u.p.o.u.a.), aimed at assisting individuals in difficult financial situations due to the inability to enforce alimony, combined with measures to increase the responsibility of those obligated to pay alimony, finds justification in economic theory. However, the results of the analyses indicate that, in practice, the principles of welfare economics are not being fully implemented, which affects the degree of achievement of long-term social benefits associated with the assistance.

Conducting analyses from a regional perspective has allowed for the observation of differences in the effectiveness of the support system for individuals entitled to alimony across various voivodeships. First and foremost, the benefit amounts determined based on uniform principles do not, in light of the obtained results, ensure an allocation of resources adequate to the cost of living. Furthermore, the observed limited scale of actions aimed at disciplining alimony debtors provides grounds for a review of regional strategies and legal solutions in terms of their effectiveness. Additionally, considering the persistent, though gradually decreasing over the years, disparities between voivodeships in the percentage levels of alimony debtors against whom municipalities have taken action relative to the total number of alimony debtors, this review should also take into account the adaptation of these instruments to local conditions.

The adopted comprehensive approach to examining the effectiveness of systemic support for individuals entitled to alimony, from the perspective of the overall objectives pursued by the system, has allowed for the identification of the main areas of the Polish alimony support system that require improvement, particularly in addressing regional differences.