Suchergebnisse

ABSTRACTInequality and welfare comparisons are performed using simple and generalized Lorenz curves and a number of ranking criteria suggested by Shorrocks and Foster, Dardanoni and Lambert, and Davis and Hoy, on Family Expenditure Survey data of nine EEC countries. The highest levels of inequality are observed in Italy and Greece and the lowest in Denmark, Belgium and France, whereas welfare is found to be relatively low in Greece and Ireland and relatively high in Belgium and France.

Abstract. In their 1988 study of poverty Branco and Williamson suggested that the mean income of the poorest 40% of the population declines during the early stages of economic development. This result is, probably, due to the unusual indicator of economic development used by them (per capita energy consumption). It is shown that if per capita income in "Real Purchasing Power Dollars" is used as a proxy for a country's level of development, the mean income of the poorest 40% is a monotonically increasing function of the level of economic development (although the mean income of particular socioeconomic groups may decline).

In recent years in the public discourse of many European countries there has been a shift in emphasis from "povertyʺ to "social exclusionʺ. Broadly interpreted, "social exclusionʺ implies the "inability of an individual to participate in the basic political, economic and social functionings of the society in which she/he livesʺ. In practice, there is little consensus about its proper operationalisation. The paper approaches social exclusionʺ from the point of view of "chronic cumulative disadvantageʺ and attempts to identify population members at high risk of social exclusion in EU countries using the information of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP). The results show that there are many qualitative similarities and quantitative differences across the EU. In almost all countries the looser the links of the individual or the household with the labour market the higher the risk of social exclusion. However, the extent to which secure and uninterrupted employment provides a shield against social exclusion varies a lot across countries. Moreover, in almost all countries children face a higher risk of social exclusion than the rest of the population. To a large extent, this risk is accounted by the higher than average risk of social exclusion facing children living in lone-parent households. On the contrary, older persons face a high risk of social exclusion in only a few southern EU countries.

The paper analyzes the effects of individual and household characteristics on current poverty status, while controlling for initial conditions, past poverty status and unobserved heterogeneity in 14 European Countries for the period 1994-2000, using the European Community Household Panel. The distinction between true state dependence and individual heterogeneity has very important policy implications, since if the former is the main cause of poverty it is of paramount importance to break the vicious circle of poverty using income-supporting social policies, whereas if it is the latter anti-poverty policies should focus primarily on education, training, development of personal skills and other labour market oriented policies. The empirical results are similar in qualitative but rather different in quantitative terms across EU countries. State dependence remains significant in all specifications, even after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity or when removing possible endogeneity bias.

Greece was traditionally an emigration country. However, since the early 1990s it became an immigrant destination and nowadays up to a tenth of the population are immigrants, mainly from neighbouring Balkan countries and, especially, Albania. This large scale immigration within a short time period had important social, as well as, economic consequences. The paper reviews the existing evidence and concludes that on average the economic effects of immigration were beneficial, although their distributional consequences were adverse. Greek immigration policy was haphazard and more efforts are needed in order to integrate the immigrants in the economic and social fabric of the country.

There has been a shift in the public discourse of many EU countries from `poverty' to `social exclusion'. This article treats chronic cumulative disadvantage as a proxy for `social exclusion' and provides an empirical application using data from the ECHP. Social exclusion appears to be more widespread in Southern European countries with relatively underdeveloped welfare states and the countries associated with the `Liberal' welfare state regime. The results of multivariate analysis demonstrate that in most countries, lack of full-time employment, low educational qualifications, lone parenthood, non-EU citizenship and bad health are positively and significantly associated with increased risk of social exclusion. In contrast, the effect of being an elderly citizen living alone or a member of an elderly couple is found to be negatively associated with the risk of social exclusion in Northern but positively in Southern Europe. Finally, country and welfare regime effects turn out to be significant in explaining the probability of social exclusion.

In recent years in the public discourse of many European countries there has been a shift in emphasis from ?poverty? to ?social exclusion?. Broadly interpreted, ?social exclusion? implies the ?inability of an individual to participate in the basic political, economic and social functionings of the society in which she/he lives?. In practice, there is little consensus about its proper operationalisation. The paper approaches ?social exclusion? from the point of view of ?chronic cumulative disadvantage? and attempts to identify population members at high risk of social exclusion in EU countries using the information of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP). The results show that there are many qualitative similarities and quantitative differences across the EU. In almost all countries the looser the links of the individual or the household with the labour market the higher the risk of social exclusion. However, the extent to which secure and uninterrupted employment provides a shield against social exclusion varies a lot across countries. Moreover, in almost all countries children face a higher risk of social exclusion than the rest of the population. To a large extent, this risk is accounted by the higher than average risk of social exclusion facing children living in lone-parent households. On the contrary, older persons face a high risk of social exclusion in only a few southern EU countries.