The report provides a comprehensive assessment of spending on social policies in the countries of the region, with a detailed analysis of trends and challenges, as well as recommendations on ways to rearrange priorities and direct social allocations to important areas with long-term positive impacts on social capital and the economy, and to improve monitoring of spending and evaluation of its efficiency. According to the report, social spending is a pillar of the well-being of individuals and society, an engine of progress in the fields of education and health, and a way to protect vulnerable groups.