Growth, Poverty, and Inequality : Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

by Alam, Asad; Murthi, Mamta; Yemtsov, Ruslan

• ISBN13: 9780821361931
• ISBN10: 0821361937
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-15
• Publisher: World Bank

Summary

While the countries of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union have made significant progress in reducing poverty in the past five years, poverty and vulnerability remain significant problems. More than 60 million are poor and more than 150 million are vulnerable. Most of the poor are the working poor. Many others face deprivations in terms of access and quality of public services. Regional inequalities both between and within countries are large. The highest levels of absolute poverty are found in the poor countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, but most of the region's poor and vulnerable are in middle-income countries.'Growth, Poverty, and Inequality' examines these important issues and recommends that public policies focus on: accelerating shared growth and job creation; improving public service delivery; strengthening social protection; and enhancing the monitoring of progress in poverty reduction. This book will be informative for policy makers and social scientists working in the Region.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Acknowledgments	xv
Acronyms and Abbreviations	xvii
Overview	1	(218)
Trends in Poverty in the Region, 1998--2003	4	(12)
Factors Contributing to Poverty Reduction, 1998--2003	16	(6)
Nonincome Dimensions of Well-Being, 1998--2003	22	(7)
Prospects for Poverty Reduction	29	(5)
The Role for Public Policy	34	(7)
Conclusions	41	(6)
Nature and Evolution of Poverty, 1998--2003	47	(32)
Introduction	47	(4)
Consumption Poverty	51	(16)
Poverty in Nonincome Dimensions	67	(9)
Conclusions	76	(3)
How Has Poverty Responded to Growth?	79	(28)
Growth and Poverty Reduction	80	(1)
Growth Elasticities, or, How Responsive Is Poverty Reduction to Growth?	81	(6)
Changes in Distribution, What Happened and Why	87	(3)
The Relative Shares of Growth and Changes in Distribution in Poverty Reduction	90	(2)
Rural-Urban and Other Subnational Differences in Poverty Reduction	92	(4)
Conclusions	96	(11)
The Role of Labor Markets and Safety Nets	107	(40)
How the Poor Can Connect to Growth	107	(3)
Economic Opportunities Have Expanded	110	(9)
The Poor Took Advantage of New Opportunities	119	(10)
Why Are Many Workers in the Region Still Poor?	129	(11)
Conclusions and Policy Recommendations	140	(7)
Affordable Access to Quality Services	147	(42)
Education	149	(12)
Access to, and Affordability of, Health Services	161	(10)
Energy and Other Utility Services	171	(12)
Conclusions	183	(6)
Prospects for Poverty Reduction	189	(30)
Alternative Scenarios for Growth, Poverty Reduction, and Inequality	189	(6)
Patterns of Growth: Implications for Growth and Inequality	195	(8)
The Role for Public Policy	203	(10)
Conclusions	213	(6)
Appendix	219	(60)
Data and Methodology	215	(21)
Key Poverty Indicators	236	(43)
Bibliography	279	(14)
Index	293