Human development index in a context of human development: Review on the western Balkans countries

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The Human Development Index (HDI), as one of the more complex composite indicators of the level of human potential and quality of life, is a combination of three dimensions (indicators, factors): life expectancy at birth, the middle number of years of education and the expected number of years of schooling combined into a single education index and economic benefits expressed by production, or GDP (gross domestic product) according to purchasing power (PPP US $). Methods The same measures and average achievements in the field of health, education, and living standards are presented. The HDI was first developed in 1990 under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and is published as Human Development Reports (HDR). At present, it has become the most widely used complex indicator suitable for international comparisons and assessments of the achieved development level of a particular country or region. Results The paper deals specifically with the more perspective view of human development in the Western Balkans, with a series of socio‐economic implications for the development policy of the countries under observation. Conclusion The particular significance of the conducted research stems from the fact that in the countries of the Western Balkans are identified factors at the beginning of the transition period were often marginalized in the creation of macroeconomic policies, but in recent years there have been more positive developments in that regard.

Keywords

• developmental level
• education
• human development index
• international comparisons
• living standards