Minimum Wages in Central and Eastern Europe (Central European University Press Book)

Book info: Minimum Wages in Central and Eastern Europe (Central European University Press Book) (Hardcover, 187 pages) – Central European University Press, 1995. Language: English.

Since the late 1980s, incomes have fallen sharply in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe, while unemployment and poverty rates have risen dramatically. In most countries during that period, the statutory minimum wage has been supposed to be an anchor of the social protection system and the wage structure, protecting the low-paid and those dependent on state benefits. Unfortunately for those affected, the level of the minimum wage has been allowed to drop to well below the poverty level and has ceased to protect anyone. This book considers the evidence and the implications of this development, and recommends a series of reforms.

Editorial Reviews From the Back Cover Since the Late 1980s incomes have fallen sharply in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with unemployment and poverty rates rising dramatically. The ILO's Central and Eastern European Team has conducted a series of studies concerning the role of minimum wages in the countries of this rapidly transforming region, in particular looking at ways in which this role should be revised. Based on this research, Minimum Wages in Central and Eastern Europe examines the most crucial issues in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldavia, Poland, Romania and Russia, and compares their systems with those of western industrialized economies. Bringing together primary data so far unknown beyond a small circle of policymakers and officials, the contributors consider the evidence and the implications of new developments and recommend a series of reforms. About the Author Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead is a senior economist at the International Labor Office in Geneva and a professor at Sciences Po in Paris.