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Description
This project breaks new interdisciplinary ground in the socio-economic history of the Baltic countries, providing for the first time cross-time and cross-country comparable gross domestic product (GDP) data series for all three countries, covering the complete 100 years period since the end of independence wars. Applying a methodology tested in recent research on the economic development of Europe‘s regions since 1900, it will decompose these series down to a regional level to explore trends in the economic and social disparities between regions inside of each Baltic State. It is promoted by the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvia, and led by its Rector Gatis Krūmiņš. It involves experienced researchers from Estonia (Olaf Mertelsmann and Martin Klesment, University of Tartu), Lithuania (Zenonas Norkus, Vilnius University) and Norway (Ola Honingdal Grytten, Norwegian School of Economics), who will provide methodological knowledge transfer from advanced Norwegian to catching-up Baltic research in the national and regional quantitative socio-economic history. Besides economic disparities between regions, measured by levels of the GDP per capita, changing cross-regional differences in demographic structures and inequalities in human development (education, life expectancy, availability of social services) will be comparatively investigated. For these research aims a depository of statistical data will be created, containing data series on demographic and socioeconomic indicators. This data depositary will serve as open source of reliable information for scenario planning and forecasting in regional policy making, media literacy and strategic communications needs. As a result of the project, a collective monograph will be prepared for publication in an international publishing house and 8 internationally refereed publications.