Publication: Consumption Poverty in the Republic of Kosovo in 2009 : Western Balkans Programmatic Poverty Assessment
Date
2011-05
ISSN
Published
2011-05
Author(s)
World Bank
Statistical Office of Kosovo
Abstract
Since the end of armed conflict in 1999,
progress on improving living standards in the Republic of
Kosovo has been slow and uneven, despite solid macroeconomic
performance. Kosovo weathered the economic crisis in 2008-09
better than most countries in South Eastern Europe (SEE).
Even so, this growth was modest, constrained by a worsening
investment climate, a drop in foreign direct investment,
poor governance and rule of law, and growing rent seeking
behavior (World Bank 2010). Remittances from the sizeable
out-migrant population also declined following the onset of
the crisis. Thus Kosovo remains the poorest country in South
Eastern Europe. The approach reflects a broader shift in the
World Bank's analytical work on poverty in the Western
Balkans, placing greater emphasis on shorter and more
frequent poverty updates as new data become available. This
poverty update is based on the household budget survey (HBS)
conducted in 2009. Even though Kosovo appears to have
suffered less from the economic crisis than most countries
in Europe, it remains one of the poorest countries in
Europe. Kosovo's population is exceptionally young, and
children and youths are disproportionately poor. Education
and employment are intimately related to poverty status. In
the aggregate, Kosovo's extremely high unemployment
rate is another important driver of its high poverty levels.
More rapid employment growth is needed not only to help
today's adults, but also to accommodate the rapidly
growing youth population that is entering the labor force,
and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Citation
“World Bank; Statistical Office of Kosovo. 2011. Consumption Poverty in the Republic of Kosovo in 2009 : Western Balkans Programmatic Poverty Assessment. © World Bank and Statistical Office of Kosovo, Prishtina. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/13246 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”