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Regional income convergence in Central Europe: Evidence from a pair-wise approach

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  • Pavel Zdrazil

    (University of Pardubice)

Abstract

Regional disparities are usually monitored in terms of economic performance. But as pointed out by many scholars, research has to look beyond GDP, investments, unemployment, and focus also on regional inequality in measures of well-being, for example, the disposable income of households. Therefore, this article examines the income disparities among the regions of Central European countries. We apply the probabilistic definition of convergence that is tested by the time series cointegration analysis. However, in our analysis, convergence criteria are tightened to increase robustness. In particular, we propose to require meeting of both criteria, i.e., stationary and absence of unit root, instead of one for the acceptance of the cointegration condition of regional convergence. Empirical analysis shows that despite the application of stricter conditions, the hypothesis of income convergence between Central European regions in 2003–2022 cannot be rejected. In particular, we found inner-country convergence in most countries. However, the involvement of individual regions in cross-country convergence varies widely. The results suggest that convergence intensity in the easternmost and westernmost regions is weak. However, we identified a “belt of convergence” along the border of the former Iron Curtain. These findings support the hypothesis of club convergence suggested by some scholars in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. On the other hand, our results significantly challenge previous research that claimed Central European transition economies are converging, especially towards German regions. Instead, our results indicate that convergence towards German regions is weak, while convergence towards Austrian regions is much more pronounced. Finally, uncovering how regions are converging at different rates and towards different steady-states can help to optimize the allocation of EU funding.

Suggested Citation

  • Pavel Zdrazil, 2025. "Regional income convergence in Central Europe: Evidence from a pair-wise approach," E&M Economics and Management, Technical University of Liberec, Faculty of Economics, vol. 28(1), pages 1-15, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bbl:journl:v:28:y:2025:i:1:p:1-15
    DOI: 10.15240/tul/001/2025-1-001
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Seher Gülşah Topuz, 2022. "The Relationship Between Income Inequality and Economic Growth: Are Transmission Channels Effective?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 1177-1231, August.
    2. Hashem Pesaran, M., 2007. "A pair-wise approach to testing for output and growth convergence," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 138(1), pages 312-355, May.
    3. repec:dau:papers:123456789/6806 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Monfort, Mercedes & Cuestas, Juan Carlos & Ordóñez, Javier, 2013. "Real convergence in Europe: A cluster analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 689-694.
    5. Cinzia Alcidi, 2019. "Economic Integration and Income Convergence in the EU," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 54(1), pages 5-11, January.
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    7. Le Pen, Yannick, 2011. "A pair-wise approach to output convergence between European regions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 955-964, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Income disparity; Central Europe; cointegration analysis; regional convergence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution

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