Abstract:
In this paper we verify and quantify the convergence trend of public social expenditure at European Union level (27 countries), as well as between Western European (WE) and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries between 1995 and 2022, structured on the three social sectors (health care, education and social protection), and three destinations (public consumption, compensation of employees and social benefits). At the same time, we investigate the manner and extent to which the effects of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020-2022 have affected this convergence trend.