Poverty in bulgaria: dimensions, policies and analyses
Abstract
The article discusses poverty in Bulgaria through the prism of the correspondence between the unfavorable wellbeing rates, the implemented policy’s measures and the state of analyses in the field. By presenting existing national and EU comparative statistics, analyzing policy documents and outlining limits and prevailing bias in the scientific research on the subject, it argues that the three aspects are functionally consistent and that overcoming the high levels of poverty in the country needs reconsidered and mobilizing actions aimed at: a) better consistency among policies in different fields (economic, social, tax, insurance, labor market, environmental, etc.); and b) knowledge-based development focused on adequate addressing of structural generators of poverty.
References
Borisova-Marinova, K. et al. (2018). Demographic Development, Labour Force and Labour Resources in Bulgaria, In: ISPP-BAS, Measures to Overcome the Demographic Crisis in Republic of Bulgaria, vol. 4, Sofia [In Bulgarian ]
EC (2018). Employment and Social Developments in Europe, Annual Review 2018
Eurostat (2020a). At-risk-of-poverty rate by poverty threshold, age and sex – EU-SILC and ECHP surveys [ilc_li02], Extracted on 27/09/2020
Eurostat (2020b). Children at risk of poverty or social exclusion [ilc_peps01], downloaded 4/01/2021
Eurostat (2020c). Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income after social transfers – EU-SILC survey [ilc_di12]
Eurostat (2020d). Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income before social transfers (pensions included in social transfers) [ilc_di12b]
Eurostat (2020e). In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate by age and sex – EU-SILC survey [ilc_iw01], downloaded 04/01/2021
Eurostat (2020f). Material and social deprivation rate by age, sex and most frequent activity status [ilc_mdsd01], downloaded on 04/01/2021
Eurostat (2020g). People at risk of poverty or social exclusion; https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/SDG_01_10/default/table, Data extracted on 18/09/2020
Eurostat (2020h). Persistent at-risk-of-poverty rate by sex and age - EU-SILC and ECHP surveys [ilc_li21], downloaded on 04/01/2021
Eurostat (2020i). Severely materially deprived people [SDG_01_30], data extracted on 18/09/2020
Eurostat (202j), Severe material deprivation rate, analysed by age, 2015–2019, Data extracted on 04/01/2020
Grigorova, V. (2018). The people against social benefits: or the art of making the needy themselves demand more restrictions against themselves. Sofia: Public Intervention Team [In Bulgarian ]
Grigorova, V. (2016). Poor vs. Poor, Sofia: Collective for Public Interventions [In Bulgarian ]
Ivkov, B. (2018). Socio-economic stratification and social inequalities in health. Report presented at a round table on “Inequalities and poverty in Bulgaria” under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, held on October 9, 2018 [In Bulgarian ]
Ivkov, B., Atanasov, A., Saykova, S., Toneva, Z., Todorova, S., Popivanov, P., Draganov, D., Yankov, I., Ampirska, T. (2017) Health expenditures from pocket and health inequalities. UNWE, Sofia
Jeliazkova, M. (2019). Quality of jobs and employment in Bulgaria, in: Population Journal, 37, 4/2019, Publishing House of BAS [In Bulgarian ]
Jeliazkova, M. & Minev, D. (2020). Bulgaria: Poverty Watch 2020, https://www.eapn.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/EAPN-EAPN-Bulgaria-Poverty-Watch-2020_ENG-4747.pdf
Jeliazkova, M., Minev, D. & Draganov, D. (2018). Assessing youth employment policies in 28 European countries, EXCEPT Working Papers, WP No. 55. Tallinn University, Tallinn. http://www.except-project.eu/working-papers/
Kabakchieva, P. (2018). The quality of education - for whom? Normative visions for the quality and practical differentiation of schools. Report presented at the Annual Scientific Conference of BAS: Inequalities in Bulgaria: Causes, Consequences, Manifestations, held on December 11, 2018, Sofia [In Bulgarian ]
Krasteva, V. (2019). Youth employment and precarious jobs: the case of Bulgaria, Publishing House of BAS [In Bulgarian ]
Living Wage Indicator, https://wageindicator.org/salary/living-wage/bulgaria-living-wage-series-september-2019
Milenkova, V. (2011). Educational inequalities in the context of Bulgarian modernity, in Problems of postmodernity, 1 [In Bulgarian ]
Minev, D. (2018). Abnormal inequalities: mechanisms that cause them, their consequences and opportunities for their reduction, Report presented at a round table on “Inequalities and poverty in Bulgaria” under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, held on 09/10/2018 [In Bulgarian ]
National Strategy for Poverty Reduction and Promotion of Social Inclusion 2030, http://www.strategy.bg/StrategicDocuments/View.aspx?lang=bg-BG&Id=790
NSI (2019). National Statistical Institute on Indicators of Poverty and Social inclusion in 2019, https://www.nsi.bg/ [In Bulgarian ]
Numbeo, https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Sofia
Pekanov, A. (2018). Economic inequalities in Bulgaria in a European context and their macroeconomic consequences, Report presented at a round table on “Inequalities and poverty in Bulgaria” under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, held on 09/10/2018 [In Bulgarian ]
Peneva, T. (2019). Energy poverty in Bulgaria, in Yearbook of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University, vol. 1 [In Bulgarian ]
Social Assistance Act, https://lex.bg/laws/ldoc/2134405633 [In Bulgarian ]
Zahariev, B., Grigorova, V. & Yordanov, I. (2016). Energy Poverty in Bulgaria, Open Society Sofia [In Bulgarian ]