Eli5: so why is Balkan so poor compared to west europe?
In: Economics
– Turkish occupation had a lot to do with it. There was a period of development during the ottoman period but nothing close to what was happening in Western Europe, even Eastern Europe. Not to mention illiteracy was very high in places formerly occupied by the Ottoman Empire, which reduced investment in human capital. This is probably the base factor.
– There were wars in the western Balkans that devastated their economies. This led to political systems that continued a system of corruption that had already long existed.
– Some countries, namely Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia (in this case it counts as Balkan), were able to undue a lot of this regression by joining the EU. They still fall behind other countries but it’s a step in the right direction.
– The lost and forgotten tend to be Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Serbia isn’t much better but it has its own vision and goal going on. The other countries are stuck in a corruption/poverty loop.
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