generous welfare systems. After the introduction of the freedom of movement for Eastern European workers, EU-15 countries can … not support the prediction of a race to the bottom in protection levels. Using data from the EU-LFS 2004 to 2011, I …

important insights on the economic catch-up exhibited by the new EU members in light of the institutional changes and … convergence in the EU, however, we identify subgroups that converge to different steady states using an iterative testing … suggests a clear separation between the new and old EU member states in the long run. …