Divergence or convergence? The case of the former Yugoslav area

Abstract

Europe is differentiated socio-economically, both at the global and state level. The former Yugoslav republics are no exception. Due to cultural, religious, and developmental diversity, the area of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia can be considered a microcosm of Europe as a whole. The decision to research in this area was taken because this group of independent states, formed part of a larger territory for nearly 70 years. The study covers the territory of former Yugoslavia and the period from 2000 to 2019. The coefficient of variation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP; constant 2017 international $) showed the persistence of significant polarization of the relative measure of the regional differentiation. Using 21 statistical variables and applying the taxonomic method, we made a comparative assessment of the level of socioeconomic development of individual countries. It is noteworthy that the value of the taxonomic measure of the regional socio-economic development of Slovenia is nearly forty times higher than that of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The comparison of the values of taxonomic measures of socio-economic development consistently points to a significant differentiation in the level of development in former Yugoslavia. It seems that a review of current actions and strategies in the area of sustainable development of this region is necessary.