Growth, Poverty and Inequality: Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union (Electronic book text)

.."..a most interesting report. I have read it with considerable interest, and have learned a lot. It tells a clear story, and it contains a lot of interesting material."- Anthony Atkinson, Professor Nuffield CollegeOxford University, United Kingdom "The key conclusion of the report is that rapid economic growth is fundamentally important for job creation and, consequently, reducing poverty."- Ewa Balcerowicz, President of the BoardCenter for Social and Economic Research, Warsaw, Poland While the countries of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union have made significant progress in reducing poverty in the past five years, poverty and vulnerability remain significant problems. More than 60 million are poor and more than 150 million are vulnerable. Most of the poor are the working poor. Many others face deprivations in terms of access and quality of public services. Regional inequalities both between and within countries are large. The highest levels of absolute poverty are found in the poor countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, but most of the region's poor and vulnerable are in middle- income countries. Growth, Poverty, and Inequality examines these important issues and recommends that public policies focus on: accelerating shared growth and job creation; improving public service delivery; strengthening social protection; and enhancing the monitoring of progress in poverty reduction. This book will be informative for policy makers and social scientists working in the Region.