Satisfaction with Life and Service Delivery in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union Some Insights from the 2006 Life in Transition Survey

• Main Authors: Zaidi, Salman, Alam, Asad, Mitra, Pradeep K, Sundaram, Ramya
• Format: eBook Book
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago World Bank Publications 2009; The World Bank; World Bank
• Edition: 1
• Series: World Bank Working Papers
• Subjects: AGED; AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT; AGRICULTURE; AMOUNT OF MONEY; Asia, Central; ASSET OWNERSHIP; ASSET POOR; BANK ACCOUNT; BENCHMARKING; COMMODITY; CONSUMER; CONSUMER GOOD; CONSUMER GOODS; CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES; CORRUPTION; CRIME; DEFLATORS; DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION; DURABLE GOODS; ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS; ECONOMIC CRISIS; ECONOMIC GROWTH; ECONOMIC SITUATION; EDUCATION LEVEL; EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT; EMPLOYMENT SITUATION; EMPLOYMENT STATUS; Europe, Eastern; EXPENDITURE; EXPENDITURES; GDP; GENDER; GINI COEFFICIENT; HEALTH CARE; HEALTH INSURANCE; HEALTH SERVICES; Health surveys; HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES; HOUSEHOLD BUDGET; HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION; HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES; HOUSEHOLD HEAD; HOUSEHOLD INCOMES; HOUSEHOLD SIZE; HOUSEHOLD SPENDING; HOUSEHOLD SURVEY; HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS; HOUSEHOLD WELFARE; HOUSEHOLDS; INCOME DISTRIBUTION; INCOME GROUP; INCOME GROUPS; INCOME GROWTH; INCOME INEQUALITY; INCOME LEVELS; INCOME SOURCE; INCOME SOURCES; INEQUALITIES; INEQUALITY; INTERNATIONAL BANK; JOB CREATION; JOB OPPORTUNITIES; LABOR FORCE; LABOR FORCE SURVEYS; LIVING CONDITIONS; LIVING STANDARDS; LOW INCOME; MEDICAL TREATMENT; PENSIONS; PEOPLES; PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION; PER CAPITA INCOMES; POOR HOUSEHOLDS; POSSESSION; POVERTY ANALYSIS; POVERTY ESTIMATES; POVERTY INCIDENCE; POVERTY LINE; POVERTY LINES; POVERTY PROFILE; POVERTY RATES; PRICE INDEX; PROBABILITIES; PROBABILITY; PRODUCTIVITY; PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY; QUALITY OF LIFE; QUESTIONNAIRE; QUESTIONNAIRES; RECESSION; REGRESSION ANALYSIS; RURAL; RURAL AREAS; SOCIAL CAPITAL; SOURCE OF INCOME; SOURCES OF INCOME; TUITION; TYPES OF ASSETS; UNEMPLOYED; UNEMPLOYMENT; UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS; UNEMPLOYMENT RATES; UNION; URBAN AREAS; WAGES; WEALTH; WORTH; POVERTY LINES; ECONOMIC GROWTH; HOUSEHOLD HEAD; HOUSEHOLD SIZE; POVERTY RATES; POOR; HOUSEHOLD BUDGET; RURAL AREAS; HEALTH INSURANCE; POVERTY LINE; INCOME INEQUALITY; RURAL; INCOME; HOUSEHOLD WELFARE; AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT; EMPLOYMENT STATUS; HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS; INCOME GROWTH; POVERTY PROFILE; UNEMPLOYMENT
• ISBN: 9780821379004; 0821379003
• DOI: 10.1596/978-0-8213-7900-4

The past two decades in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have been times of tremendous change, with countries undergoing rapid transformation from centrally-planned to market-oriented economies. While poverty increased during the initial years of transition, primarily on account of the sharp economic contraction, the resurgence of economic growth in the region since 1998 has resulted in a rebound in household incomes and living standards. Data from the 2006 Life in Transition Survey (LiTS)—a joint initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank—provides a unique opportunity to investigate the extent to which citizens of ECA countries are satisfied with their lives and with the performances of their governments, and to study key factors influencing their outlook in a systematic way across all countries of the region. The main objective of the LiTS was to assess the impact of transition on people, covering four main themes. First, it collected personal information on aspects of material well-being, including household expenditures, possession of consumer goods such as a car or mobile phone, and access to local public services and utilities. Second, the survey included measures of satisfaction and attitudes towards economic and political reforms as well as public service delivery. Third, the LiTS captured individual “histories”—key events and episodes that may have influenced their attitudes towards reforms, and information on family background, employment, and coping strategies. Finally, the survey also attempted to capture the extent to which crime and corruption are affecting peoples’ lives, and the extent to which individuals’ trust in other people and in state institutions has changed over time.