The European Union convergence in the achieved levels of human development

Abstract

The paper examines the existence of convergence in the achieved levels of human development among countries of the European Union in the period 1995- 2018. The aim of the research is to test the hypothesis, There is convergence in the achieved levels of human development among the integrated countries of the European Union. The Human Development Index is used as a measure of human development. Using regression analysis and coefficient of variation, the existence of β- and σ-convergence is tested in this paper. In addition to the entire European Union, convergence is being tested for a group of developed countries of the European Union, as well as among so-called “New Member States”. The obtained results indicate the existence of convergence (both β and σ) in the achieved levels of human development in the European Union, where it is more pronounced and stable in the group of “New Member States” compared to the group of developed countries of the European Union. The main contribution of this paper is to increase the number of papers in the field of convergence in terms of human development, given that so far, a small number of papers have explored this topic.