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Human Development Index: Changes in East Central Europe, 1913-2010

Author

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  • Stanislav Holubec
  • Béla Tomka

Abstract

Studies on the long-term trends of quality of life, and more specifically, the Human Development Index (HDI), have thus far largely neglected East Central Europe, and the existing scholarship tends to be fragmented. The paper seeks to address these shortcomings in research by investigating the trends of the HDI in Poland, Czechoslovakia and its successor states, Czechia and Slovakia, as well as Hungary between 1913 and 2010 within a broader international context. The analysis is based on a new data set developed by the authors. The results demonstrate that the HDI performance of the later decades of state socialism was more moderate than it is commonly assumed.

Suggested Citation

  • Stanislav Holubec & Béla Tomka, 2023. "Human Development Index: Changes in East Central Europe, 1913-2010," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(2), pages 130-152.
  • Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpol:v:2023:y:2023:i:2:id:1378:p:130-152
    DOI: 10.18267/j.polek.1378
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human development index of East Central Europe; 20th century; measuring; labour and consumers; demography; education; health; welfare; income; wealth; religion; philanthropy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N3 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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