ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the main methodological issues and the country sample features. The general population from which the sample is selected comprises all households in the country. The empirical assessment of the dynamics of income inequality and poverty in Bulgaria is based on data from the Household Budget Survey (HBS) conducted regularly by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute. The Hungarian HBS has been conducted annually by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office since 1993. Reported household earnings and informal/hidden income are not checked against tax office or enterprise records. These kinds of income are frequently concealed, consequently we have to be very careful interpreting our results; inequality measures can be underestimated. The information on incomes is derived from two comparable, nationally representative surveys: the Romanian Family Budget Survey for the period 2001-2004; and the Integrated Household Survey (AIG) for 1995-2000.
