Income Inequality and Poverty in Eastern and Western Europe: An Introduction

Abstract

Issues of economic inequality and poverty have been of interest for many decades. There are at least three reasons why inequality and poverty is currently a growing “branch” of scientific research.

• The monitoring of inequality, poverty and their impact on society is no longer a research question only for economists, but social sciences are also analyzing these topics.

• In Western Europe, or more precisely, within the European Union, the “War on Poverty” is an official topic for the Commission of the European Union. In Eastern Europe, growing inequality and the development of poverty are crucial issues resulting from the transition process of the old “socialist economies”.

• The collapse of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent reunification of Germany are only part of a broader process of world-wide change. Other important patterns include the convergence of economic and social organization despite decades of historical differences. As a consequence comparative research in the social sciences is becoming more and more important.