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Holzmann, Robert --- "Poverty, migration and employment in South-East Europe: what can the data tell us?" [2005] ELECD 392; in Liebscher, Klaus; Christl, Josef; Mooslechner, Peter; Ritzberger-Grünwald, Doris (eds), "European Economic Integration and South-East Europe" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2005)

Book Title: European Economic Integration and South-East Europe

Editor(s): Liebscher, Klaus; Christl, Josef; Mooslechner, Peter; Ritzberger-Grünwald, Doris

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781845425173

Section: Chapter 17

Section Title: Poverty, migration and employment in South-East Europe: what can the data tell us?

Author(s): Holzmann, Robert

Number of pages: 24

Extract:

17. Poverty, migration and
employment in South-East Europe:
what can the data tell us?
Robert Holzmann

INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY1

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the empirical foundations of the
development in poverty, migration and employment in the countries of
South-East Europe (SEE, consisting of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia and Montenegro).
While the availability of these important but sensitive data in the countries
of this region has improved, data coverage across these countries and over
time is still lagging behind that of other (former) transition economies in
the north.
Nevertheless, the available data and fragmented evidence suggest the fol-
lowing broad conclusions: first, the region was hit by two largely parallel
shocks ­ transition crisis and the conflicts around the dissolution of the
former Yugoslavia ­ the impact of which is visible in the development of
GDP and other indicators. Compared to their peers to the north, who are
by now all members of the EU, the fall was deeper and the recovery thus
far weaker. Only since 2001 has the real GDP growth rate of SEE exceeded
the growth rate of Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics (CEB).
Within SEE, only Albania was able to surpass its early-1990s GDP level,
although it began from a low (per capita) level. Second, poverty has
increased during the long years of transition largely due to the fall in output
as there is little evidence for a major increase in income inequality. Since ...