A Systematic Literature Review of Income Inequality in Central–Eastern European Countries

Byambasuren Dorjnyambuu ()
Additional contact information
Byambasuren Dorjnyambuu: University of Pécs

Comparative Economic Studies, 2025, vol. 67, issue 1, No 1, 49 pages

Abstract: Abstract This review offers a comprehensive perspective on income inequality literature in Central–Eastern European (CEE) nations, with a specific focus on six countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Czechia, and Slovakia. By thoroughly examining existing research, this review uncovers the underlying factors and root causes contributing to varying income inequality levels and trends across CEE countries. The investigation is conducted through a systematic literature review and network analysis, focusing on the literature published since 1990, mainly on recent studies. The review is structured around three thematic frameworks (concept and measures, evidence, and causes). These three strands of the literature review not only offer a comprehensive picture of income inequality in CEE countries but also identify critical research gaps for further studies. The review underscores several critical areas for improvement within CEE studies. These include addressing gaps in geographical and temporal coverage, utilizing alternative measurements of income inequality, and investigating the causes of diverging trends in income inequality among CEE countries. Moreover, there is a pressing need to expand the understanding of the determinants influencing income inequality in these nations, which presents a significant opportunity for future research.

Keywords: Income inequality; Wage inequality; Systematic literature review; Central–Eastern Europe; Network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 D63 E24 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41294-024-00240-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:compes:v:67:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41294-024-00240-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... cs/journal/41294/PS2

DOI: 10.1057/s41294-024-00240-2

Access Statistics for this article

Comparative Economic Studies is currently edited by Nauro Campos

More articles in Comparative Economic Studies from Palgrave Macmillan, Association for Comparative Economic Studies Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().