The distribution of the left behind individuals in EU countries: Central and Eastern countries vs Western countries

Abstract

This paper examines the differences in the extent individuals are left behind across the EU between Central and Eastern European (CEE) –former countries with non-democratic regimes and centrally planned economies – and Western European (WE) countries. We adopt the perspective of the principle of ‘Leaving no one behind’ of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and consider a multidimensional setting, addressing three dimensions, namely income, material deprivation and work intensity . We compare both blocs of countries over the period 2007-2019 and observe a certain process of convergence between blocs as a result essentially of the decrease in the LB level in the CEE countries over the period analysed, reaching levels similar to those of the WE countries.