Croatia - Living Standards Assessment : Volume 2, Background Papers

The Croatian economy has performed moderately well in the past decade, enabling a gradual narrowing of the income gap with the European Union (EU). Using a cost-of-basic-needs poverty line, poverty in Croatia is found to be low, with only a small proportion of the poor facing hard-core deprivation. Looking ahead, the task of faster external income convergence with the EU will be challenging, and will require both faster job creation as well as flexibility in the allocation of jobs and workers in the economy. These will also help with more rapid improvement in living conditions in lagging regions. To these ends, the report highlights three sets of interrelated policy challenges and priorities: (1) sustaining high rates of growth to permit continued income convergence with Europe; (2) promoting greater labor mobility, including measures aimed at building human capital to improve workers' opportunities; and (3) improving the adequacy and effectiveness of social safety nets within a responsible fiscal framework. In examining regional disparities, several development indicators show that regional disparities in living conditions are significant (though on average no higher than in EU countries), and only partially explained by human capital and other such individual attributes. Building on local comparative advantages offers the best way forward to improve living conditions in lagging regions.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	World Bank
Language:	English
Published:	2006-11
Subjects:	ABSOLUTE POVERTY, ABSOLUTE POVERTY LINE, ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT, AVERAGE PRICES, BANK ACCOUNT, BENEFICIARIES, BOND, BONDS, CALORIE INTAKE, CHANGES IN POVERTY, CONSUMER DURABLES, CONSUMER GOOD, CONSUMER GOODS, CONSUMER PRICE, CONSUMER PRICE INDEX, CONSUMER PRICE INDICES, CONSUMPTION AGGREGATE, CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES, CONSUMPTION POVERTY, CURRENCY, CURRENT POVERTY, DERIVATIVE, DETERMINANTS OF POVERTY, DURABLE, DURABLE GOOD, DURABLE GOODS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, EMPLOYMENT STATUS, ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE, EQUIPMENT, FAMILY MEMBERS, FARMER, FOOD BASKET, FOOD BUNDLE, FOOD CONSUMPTION, FOOD CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE, FOOD EXPENDITURE, FOOD EXPENDITURES, FOOD ITEMS, FOOD NEEDS, FOOD POVERTY, FOOD POVERTY LINE, FOOD SHARE, GOVERNMENT BOND, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, HEALTH EXPENDITURES, HOUSEHOLD BUDGET, HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION, HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION, HOUSEHOLD HEAD, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HOUSING, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN ENERGY, INCIDENCE OF POVERTY, INCOME INEQUALITY, INCOME LEVEL, INCOME POVERTY, INCOME VARIABILITY, INFLATION, INFLATION RATE, INFLATION RATES, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, INSURANCE, INTERNATIONAL BANK, INTERNATIONAL POVERTY COMPARISONS, INVESTMENT RATE, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKET POLICIES, LIVING STANDARD, LIVING STANDARDS, MARKET DEVELOPMENTS, MATERIAL POVERTY, MATURITY, MEAT, MILK, MOBILE PHONES, MONETARY FUND, NOMINAL YIELD, NUTRITION, OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE, PENSION, PENSION INCOME, PENSIONS, PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION, POLICIES BY REGION, POOR, POOR HOUSEHOLD, POORER HOUSEHOLDS, POVERTY ANALYSIS, POVERTY COMPARISONS, POVERTY ESTIMATES, POVERTY GAP, POVERTY HEADCOUNT RATE, POVERTY HEADCOUNT RATES, POVERTY INCIDENCE, POVERTY INDICATOR, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY LINES, POVERTY MEASUREMENT, POVERTY MEASURES, POVERTY PROFILE, POVERTY RATE, POVERTY RATES, POVERTY REDUCTION, POVERTY RISK, POVERTY SEVERITY, PRIVATE TRANSFERS, PURCHASING, PURCHASING POWER, REAL INTEREST, REAL INTEREST RATE, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, REGIONAL DIFFERENCES, REGIONAL DISPARITIES, REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION, REGIONAL ECONOMY, REGIONAL EQUITY, REGIONAL INEQUALITIES, REGIONAL LEVEL, REGIONAL LEVELS, REGIONAL OPERATIONS, REGIONAL TRENDS, REGIONAL VARIATION, REGIONAL VARIATIONS, RETURN, RUNNING WATER, RURAL, RURAL LIVING STANDARDS, SALE, SALES, SAVINGS, SCHOOLING, SOCIAL PROTECTION, STOCKS, SUBSTITUTE, TAX, TOTAL POVERTY, TOTAL POVERTY LINE, TRADE UNION, TRANSACTION, TRANSACTION COSTS, TRANSITION COUNTRIES, TURNOVER, UNEMPLOYMENT, VALUATION, VEGETABLES, WAR, WELFARE INDICATOR,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/11/11706054/croatia-living-standards-assessment-vol-2-2-background-papers https://hdl.handle.net/10986/8162
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