A MULTIDIMENSIONAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF POVERTY STATUSES IN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to compare the poverty statuses of European Union countries in 2010 and 2018. The specific purpose is to assess levels of poverty and material deprivation in EU countries. The study relies on the positional TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) approach. Using these methods, it is possible to determine poverty statuses: persistent conspicuous poverty, poverty without serious material deprivation, material deprivation without severe poverty, and no severe poverty. Three types of poverty status were identified in EU countries: persistent conspicuous poverty, transient unnoticeable poverty, and no severe poverty. Central and Eastern European countries (especially Romania, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Poland) witnessed a clear improvement in their statuses in 2010–2018. A large number of countries had a transient unnoticeable poverty status. In turn, no countries experienced a clear deterioration in their status. Eurostat data provide an empirical basis for this study.

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Received: 8 Jan 2022
Revised: 5 Mar 2022
Accepted: 6 Apr 2022
Published: 20 Apr 2022