Economic Hardship, Migration, and Survival Strategies in East-Central Europe

Abstract: This paper begins by looking at the characteristics associated with poverty in East-Central Europe using a longitudinal cross-sectional sample survey of 11 countries conducted between 1991 and 1998 at five time points. There is a trend analysis of changes in levels of poverty in different countries using three indicators of poverty. These indicate very different patterns of poverty for the different post-communist countries, with the people of some countries (the Central European countries) getting gradually richer and the people of other countries (the former Soviet Union) getting poorer. The paper then considers the characteristics of those who have suffered economic hardship. The second part of the paper looks at the characteristics of those who expressed an interest in migration, this time concentrating on the Central European countries which have petitioned to join the European Union. The people who are poorest are not necessarily the ones who will migrate - indeed migration could be seen as an entrepreneurial strategy for improving living standards. Drawing upon qualitative interviews with migrants the paper goes on to look at the circumstances of migrants arguing that they should be situated in the context of household strategies and social networks in the region.;