Assessment of socio-economic development of selected European countries with the use of a modified HDI

ENThe aim of the paper is to analyse the socio-economic development of selected European countries represented by various social policies, and to verify the hypothesis of different speeds of development within the groups into which these countries divide. The following groups are considered in the analysis: Post-Communist countries (the Visegrad Group countries, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia and Estonia); Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland and Sweden); so-called welfare states and "Old Europe" countries (Germany, France, Spain and Italy along with Great Britain and Portugal); and “small but affluent” countries: (Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands). For the measurement, a modified HDI index is employed, based on a number of sources, including the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) assessment and the EHCI (Euro Health Consumer Index). The period of analysis covers the years 2006 – 2015. The analysis shows that GDP dynamics of Post- Communist countries is significantly higher than the other countries’ dynamics. Dynamics of social development measured by HDI is also more rapid compared to the other groups. However, dynamics measured by the modified HDI does not give a clear indication. Affluent and large European countries are not those with the most prominent socio-economic development. Speaking the language of physics, these countries have a big momentum, equal to the product of mass and speed, compared to other European countries.