03.1 - The Efficiency of European Union Countries in Addressing Severe Material and Social Deprivation in 2023

• Lívia Krajčíková

  Bratislava University of Economics and Business

  Author

• Martina Košíková

  Bratislava University of Economics and Business

  Author

The work deals with examining the severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) in the European Union (EU) countries in 2023 using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. SMSD is an indicator reflecting the share of the population unable to meet basic material and social needs. The introduction defines key factors influencing SMSD, such as gross disposable income, employment rate, the share of individuals with tertiary education, and the proportion of people living in households with very low work intensity. The results show that efficient countries, such as Finland, Estonia or Italy, optimally utilize available resources to reduce SMSD, while inefficient countries, such as Slovakia, Spain or Greece have room for improving the effectiveness of their policies. The work identifies challenges and opportunities for enhancing socio-economic strategies in the EU and suggests ways to optimize resource utilization to promote social inclusion.