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Poverty and Inequality in Eastern Europe and the CIS Transition Economies

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  • Mihaly Simai

Abstract

This paper deals with the causes and consequences of inequality and poverty in the countries east of the new frontiers of the European Union, mainly with the CIS countries. Poverty and inequalities in the former socialist countries were partly mitigated by the social policies of the state. The transition processes, however, have resulted in new distributions of income and wealth. The new structural sources of poverty and inequalities have often been more extreme. Some CIS countries have moderated poverty, which nonetheless persists in most CIS countries, in spite of some economic improvements.

Suggested Citation

  • Mihaly Simai, 2006. "Poverty and Inequality in Eastern Europe and the CIS Transition Economies," Working Papers 17, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    • Handle: RePEc:une:wpaper:17
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    File URL: http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2006/wp17_2006.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Julia Fimpel & Michael Stolpe, 2010. "The welfare costs of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe: an empirical assessment using the economic value-of-life approach," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 11(3), pages 305-322, June.
    2. Vesselin Mintchev & Venelin Boshnakov & Alexander Naydenov, 2010. "Sources of Income Inequality: Empirical Evidence from Bulgaria," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 4, pages 39-64.
    3. Rebecca Jean Emigh & Cynthia Feliciano & Corey O’Malley & David Cook-Martín, 2018. "The Effect of State Transfers on Poverty in Post-Socialist Eastern Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 138(2), pages 545-574, July.
    4. Ainura Uzagalieva & Antonio Menezes, 2009. "The poverty effect of remittance flows: evidence from Georgia," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 453-474.
    5. Ken Roberts & Maria-Carmen Pantea & Dan-Cristian Dabija, 2023. "Education-to-Work Transitions in Former Communist Countries after 30-Plus Years of Transformation," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Joan Costa-i-Font & Lucia Kossarova, 2015. "Anthropometric Dividends of Czechoslovakia’s Break Up," LEQS – LSE 'Europe in Question' Discussion Paper Series 95, European Institute, LSE.
    7. Easterlin, Richard A., 2009. "Lost in transition: Life satisfaction on the road to capitalism," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 130-145, August.
    8. Aziz Atamanov & Matthias Luecke & Toman Omar Mahmoud & Roman Mogilevsky & Kseniya Tereshchenko & Natalia A. Tourdyeva & Ainura Uzagalieva & Vitaly Vavryschuk, 2009. "Income and Distribution Effects of Migration and Remittances: an Analysis Based on CGE Models for Selected CIS Countries," CASE Network Reports 0086, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    9. Aleksandr V. Gevorkyan & Jacob Assa, 2021. "Poverty in “Transition”: 30 Years After and in the Pandemic," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 80(4), pages 1233-1258, September.
    10. Costa-Font, Joan & Kossarova, Lucia, 2014. "Anthropometric dividends of Czechoslovakia’s break up," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60719, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Olgica Ivančev & Milena Jovičić & Tijana Milojević, 2010. "Income Inequality and Social Policy in Serbia," wiiw Balkan Observatory Working Papers 86, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    12. Isabel Ortiz & Matthew Cummins, 2011. "Global Inequality: Beyond the Bottom Billion – A Rapid Review of Income Distribution in 141 Countries," Working papers 1102, UNICEF,Division of Policy and Strategy.
    13. Fimpel, Julia & Stolpe, Michael, 2006. "The welfare costs of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe: An empirical assessment using the economic value-of-life approach," Kiel Working Papers 1297, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    14. Facundo Alvaredo & Leonardo Gasparini, 2013. "Recent Trends in Inequality and Poverty in Developing Countries," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0151, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    15. Cerami, Alfio, 2007. "Social Change and Welfare State Developments in CEE and Russia," MPRA Paper 8479, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Joan Costa-i-Font & Lucia Kossarova, 2014. "Anthropometric Dividends of Czechoslovakia's Break Up," CESifo Working Paper Series 5081, CESifo.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    transition; Central and Eastern Europe; CIS countries; transformation; poverty; inequality; social policy; health; education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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