Региональное неравенство доходов в Литве

Актуальная во всем мире проблема неравенства доходов привлекает внимание как ученых, так и политиков. Литва как небольшое государство добилась значительного прогресса, приблизившись к уровню жизни стран Западной Европы. Однако до сих пор наблюдаются различия в экономическом росте регионов страны. Таким образом, проблема неравенства доходов носит острый характер. Современные исследователи обсуждают влияние неравенства доходов на общество, анализируют его причины и предлагают различные решения. Существующие научные исследования, рассматривающие региональное неравенство доходов, чаще всего ограничиваются примерами крупных стран. Между тем, работ, посвященных изучению регионального неравенства доходов в небольших странах, немного, и вопрос о существовании подобного неравенства в этих странах остается открытым. Цель данной статьи - изучить региональное неравенство доходов в Литве. Выдвинута гипотеза, что в Литве существует высокий уровень регионального неравенства доходов, который является одной из причин существенного неравенства доходов во всей стране. Для оценки регионального неравенства доходов были применены наиболее широко используемые показатели: коэффициент Джини, децильный коэффициент и коэффициент вариации. Анализ проводился на 3 уровне Номенклатуры территориальных единиц для целей статистики (NUTS), в соответствии с которой Литва делится на 10 уездов. Для исследования были выбраны показатели дохода на душу населения на различных уровнях (в зависимости от типа дохода): валовой внутренний продукт (ВВП) на душу населения, средний доход домохозяйства на душу населения и почасовая зарплата брутто. Для оценки ВВП на душу населения и среднего дохода домохозяйств были проанализированы данные Департамента статистики Литвы за 2014-2017 годы. Из-за отсутствия данных для оценки почасовой зарплаты брутто были изучены статистические данные Департамента статистики Литвы за 2014 год. Результаты анализа показали, что выдвинутая гипотеза не подтвердилась. Согласно выводам исследования, в экономике Литвы существует лишь небольшая разница в распределении доходов между регионами, хотя уровень экономического развития регионов различается. Результаты исследования имеют не только теоретическую (выявление причин неравенства доходов и постановка вопросов для дальнейших исследований), но и практическую ценность (формирование региональной экономической политики).The problem of income inequality is globally relevant, receiving the attention of both scientists and politicians. Lithuania as a small country has made significant progress in approaching the standard of living in Western Europe. However, there are still differences in economic growth between separate population groups. Thus, the problem of income inequality remains very acute. Currently, researchers are widely discussing the risk of income inequality to the country’s society by analysing its causes and proposing various solutions. Although scientific debates address income inequality across regions, such studies are often limited to examples of large countries. Meanwhile, there is a lack of studies on regional income inequality in small countries, so the question of whether a small country is characterised by regional income inequality remains open. This research aims to examine the level of regional income inequality in Lithuania. We hypothesised that Lithuania has a high level of regional income inequality and this is one of the causes of the high income inequality in the whole country. To estimate regional income inequality, we used the most common measures: Gini coefficient, decile ratio, and the coefficient of variation. The analysis was performed at level 3 of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS), according to which Lithuania is divided into 10 administrative counties. For this research, we chose the indicators illustrating income per capita on various levels, i.e., gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, average disposable household income per capita, and gross hourly wages, as the various types of income can be used. For the estimation of GDP per capita and average disposable household income, we analysed the data provided by the Lithuanian Department of Statistics (Statistics Lithuania) for 2014-2017. Due to a lack of data to estimate gross hourly wages, we examined the statistical data from the Lithuanian Department of Statistics for 2014. The results show that the hypothesis has not been confirmed. According to the research results, there is a small distribution of income between different regions of a small economy, although the level of economic development of different regions differs. The study findings are important not only from an academic perspective for identifying the causes of income inequality and raising questions for further research, but also for regional economic policy makers. The obtained results show that decisions related to a more equal distribution of income in Lithuania as a small country are determined not only by the specificity of its regions but also by the general trends of the country

GOVERNMENT DEBT AS THE INTEGRAL PORTFOLIO OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES GENERATED BY DEBT

The paper analyses the possibilities of optimal government (national) debt management, trying to maximize the made-up net value for the debtor with the help of funds borrowed by the government. The integral portfolio of debtor assets and debt service liabilities, based on the borrowed funds, is chosen as a solution for the above-described problem. In the paper, an asset is understood as a position of government expenditures, where funds borrowed by the government are used and create a quantifiable profit (value) or the measurable damage or loss is avoided if funds are borrowed. Actually, liabilities are the main debt service positions. Naturally, the value generated by assets, as well as funds spent to settle the liabilities, could be analytically adequately evaluated only in stochastic dimension. Consequently, multidimensional multicriteria stochastic optimization technique is used as a technical solution to the formulated problem. In analytical decisions, the budget funds borrowed by the government are treated as marginal funds. Taking into account a completely new decision technique that has been invoked for government debt management, the methods of decisions are described quite particularly. First published online: 02 Oct 201

Americanization in Lithuania as a driving force for globalization

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to analyze Americanization patterns in Lithuania by exploring socio-economic and cultural factors and to determine the impact of Americanization on the level of globalization of the country and its economy.Design/methodology: The research employs both qualitative and quantitative methods by using primary and secondary data. Further descriptive statistics, correlation regression, and factor analysis is applied. Carrying out the survey has collected primary data. Secondary data was drawn from the Statistics Lithuania, Premiercapital, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.Findings/outcomes: The obtained and analyzed information on the spread of foreign capital, culture and their impact on social and cultural life in the host country which results in emigration and brain drain problems. On the other hand, the research allows us to examining the behavior of Lithuanians and their abilities to accept new culture and social life on the basis of own wealth. The results show that Americanization has much significant impact on economic growth rather than on globalization in Lithuania.Originality/value: It is an interdisciplinary research, which covers three scientific areas: sociology, economics and mathematics. It is unique as it extends to the theory of globalization and synthesizes both understandings of Americanization: cultural assimilation and Americanization as the form of internationalization