An Account of the Development of Social Insurance for Cyprus, 1878-2004; with particular reference to Older People

This thesis explores and analyses the evolution of social insurance in Cyprus from 1878-2004 and those factors that led to its development. In order to provide a comprehensive view the study begins with the arrival of the British in Cyprus in 1878 after 300 years of Ottoman occupation.
This study includes an analysis of the labour movement which spearheaded the campaign for the introduction of social insurance. Both the labour movement and the British colonists are considered as significant players in the story of introducing social insurance in Cyprus. The labour movement acted as a source of pressure in its campaign for improved social welfare whilst the British created as many obstacles as possible against such a development. In addition, the study illustrates the social conditions of the general population but with particular emphasis on the older population, the group most affected by a lack of social insurance. This emphasis includes a detailed study and analysis of the role of elderly people and their movement in their campaign for improved pensions.
The thesis is divided into five chronological periods with each having its own significance in the evolution of social insurance. The analysis in each chronological period illustrates the events and the outcomes of its introduction and the turbulent and dramatic course of its evolution as well as its significance in supporting workers and pensioners. The study is based on a documentary research method utilising various primary and secondary sources as well as oral history interviews with eight key persons in the area of social insurance, the labour movement and the older people’s movement. The study also makes use of the work of seven authors from different areas of expertise and at different points in time. The conclusions of the thesis indicate that social insurance in Cyprus was not a state ‘creation’ but, instead, the outcome of persistent campaigns from ordinary people struggling against the odds.
Finally, the thesis concludes with the accession of Cyprus to the European Union (EU) in 2004 where any future developments in social policy will be shaped and regulated by the decisions and guidelines of the European Union.