Is Growth Pro-Poor in the Balkan Region?

The concept of pro-poor growth focuses on the interrelation between economic growth, inequality, and poverty. According to an absolute definition, growth is pro-poor if the absolute income gain of the poor is larger than those on average. In contrast, a relative definition requires that the growth rate of income is higher among the poor than the nonpoor. The pro-poor literature has often considered the concept of pro-poor growth within a country by using household data in one country, or a large cross section of countries and time periods. This paper measures pro-poor growth across countries. We show how the concept of pro-poor growth in income per capita can be applied easily to a set of economies in the course of growth. This approach enables us to highlight the link to income convergence studies. The empirical investigations consider the experience of five Balkan countries during the period 1989-2005. The results show that many episodes of growth are not pro-poor because poverty and inequality worsen between Balkan countries. Although economic reforms seem to have a positive effect on well-being in Balkan countries, the overall effect on growth has been small for most countries.