Oct. 28th, 202o, doctoral student Lina Volodzkienė successfully defended her PhD dissertation: "The Assessment of the Impact of Economic Inequality on Socio-Economic Progress in EU Countries."

The dissertation addressed the scientific problem of what is the real expression of economic inequality, how reasonable is it and how to determine the impact of economic inequality on socio-economic progress.

This dissertation analyzed the theoretical approaches to economic inequality, the content and specificity of the phenomenon, identifies the most prominent indicators of economic inequality and the expression in terms of socio-economic progress.

The research emphasized a differentiated approach to economic inequality, therefore the model for assessing the impact of economic inequality on socio-economic progress in EU countries is based on the ratio of justified (normal) and unjustified (excessive) inequality. Despite the fact that the concepts of normal and excessive inequality are still in their infancy, the empirical research suggests methods for assessing and determining normal and excessive inequality.

The dissertation forms assumptions and hypotheses, finds breaking points and determines the marginal effect in order to quantify when economic inequality from justified (normal) becomes unjustified (excessive) and, accordingly, negatively affects the socio-economic progress of the EU-28.

Results of the dissertation confirm that economic inequality affects the socio-economic progress of the EU-28 countries – economic growth, quality of life, sustainability.

Empirical research confirms that in order to avoid the negative impact of excessive inequality on the socio - economic progress of the EU - 28, economic inequality should not exceed 29-30%, measured by the Gini coefficient on disposable income.