Quantitative Data about Societal and Economic Transformations in the Regions of the Three Baltic States during the Last Hundred Years for the Analysis of Historical Transformations and the Overcoming of Future Challenges (BALTIC100)

 

Summary: The aim of the project is to create a depository of quantitative data about societal and economic transformations in the regions of the three Baltic states during the last hundred years and provide a quantitative analysis of the long-run trends (since 1920) in regional disparities.

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.

The implementation of the project will include two tasks: (1) creation of data depository with data on economic and social differences between regions of Baltic countries and (2) analysis of long-run trends (since 1920) in cross-regional economic and human development disparities. As a result, a collective monography and 8 high-quality publications will be prepared.

Project No: EEA-RESEARCH-174

Implementation period: 01.05.2021.-30.04.2024.

Financial support: European Economic Area (EEA) Grants, Research and Education, Baltic Research Programme

ViA role: Lead partner

Cooperation partners: Norwegian School of Economics, Norway; Vilnius University, Lithuania; University of Tartu, Estonia

Project funding: 999092,70 EUR

Project scientific manager: Dr.hist., lead researcher Gatis Krūmiņš (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Administrative coordinator: Ieva Gintere (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Involved staff: HESPI research staff Jānis Šiliņš, Ilmārs Mežs, Baiba Kļaviņa, SSII research staff Kaspars Osis, Andris Lapāns

Further information: https://eeagrants.lv/;https://eeagrants.org/

Project news: https://www.hespi.lv/en/node/530 

 

International workshops

1. September 27th-28th, 2021 in Riga and Valmiera. Meeting of the project partners and stakeholders at Ministry of Education and Science, Bank of Latvia, and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

2. International workshop on June 14th-15th, 2022 at Tartu University, Estonia

3. International workshop on December 1st-2nd, 2022 at Norges Handelshøyskole, Bergen, Norway

4. International workshop on June 14th, 2023 at Vilnius University, Lithuania

5. International workshop on March 2024 at Norges Handelshøyskole, Bergen, Norway

 

See the EEA homepage here.

Partners

Tartu university, homepage here.

Vilnius University, homepage here.

Norwegian School of Economics, homepage here.

 

Scientific articles

1. Norkus, Z., Jasilionis, D., Grytten, O., Mežs, I., Klesment, M. Mortality Transition in the Interwar Baltic States: Findings from Cross-Country Comparison of New Life Tables. Scandinavian Economic History Review, 2022. Available here.

2. Grytten O. H., Norkus Z., Markevičiūtė J., Šiliņš J. (2022). Can the economic growth of interwar Latvia be estimated by contemporary national accounts? Baltic Journal of Economics. Available here.

3. Norkus, Z., Grytten, O., Šiliņš, J., Klimantas, A. (2022). Benchmarking Latvia’s Economy: A New Estimate of Gross Domestic Product in the 1930s. Cliometrica, Springer Journal. Available here.

4. Norkus, Z. (2022). Handbook of Economic Nationalism, Chapter 6: Varieties of currency nationalization and denationalization, pp. 81-99. Abstract available here; the full chapter available here.

5. Klimantas, A., Norkus, Z., Grytten O. H., Šiliņš, J. (2023). Reinventing Perished “Belgium of the East”: New Estimates of GDP for Inter-war Latvia (1920-1939). Cliometrica, Springer. DOI: 10.1007/s11698-023-00275-y. Available here [limited number of downloads].

6. Klimantas, A. (2022). Lithuanian economy, 1919-1940: stagnant but resilient. The first interwar GDP time-series estimates and their implications. Scandinavian Economic History Review. Available here.

7. Norkus, Z., Markevičiūtė, J., Grytten, O., Krūmiņš, G. (2023). Demographic Continuity as a Factor in the Post-Communist Restorations. Filosofija. Sociologija. Available here.

8. Norkus, Z., Markevičiūtė, J., Grytten, O., Krūmiņš, G. (2023). New Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Benchmark Estimate for Latvia in 1935. November 28th-29th 2022, Rzeszów, Poland. Proceedings of the Central European Congress of Economic History: Modernization Processes in “Younger Europe”. Available here.

9. Norkus, Z., Grytten O. H., Markevičiūtė, J., Šiliņš, J. (2023). A Long-run Perspective on Latvian Regional Gross Domestic Product Inequality, 1925-2016. Baltic Journal of Economics. 

10. Norkus, Z., Markevičiūtė, J., Grytten, O. H., Ambrulevičiūtė, A. (2023). Regional Gross Domestic Product (rGDP) Disparities in the Interwar and Restored Independent Lithuania: A Long-Run Cross-Time Comparison. Lithuanian Historical Studies. 

 

International scientific conferences

1. Norkus, Z. (2021). Life Expectancy in Lithuania 20th Century: New Research Findings. XV European Sociological Conference “Sociological Knowledges for Alternative Futures”, Barcelona 31 August – 3d September 2021.
2. Norkus, Z., Markevičiūtė, J. (2021). Changes in the Cross-Regional Disparities of the Economic Productivity: A Comparison of Baltic Countries (1995-2019). XIII Lietuvos sociologų draugijos konferencija. January 14th.
3. Norkus, Z., Markevičiūtė, J. (2022). The Disparity of Economic Productivity between Regions of Lithuania from the Comparative Perspective of Baltic Countries. Conference REGIONS AND SELF-GOVERNMENT IN LITHUANIA – PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, 29 April 2022. Program: http://www.lma.lt/uploads/news/id1523/2021-04-29_kvietimas_02.pdf
4. Norkus Z., Markevičiūtė J., Grytten, O., Šiliņš J. (2022). Latvia’s Relative Wealth in the 1930s: Measured as GDP per capita in 1935 as Benchmark Year. Baltic Connections: a Conference in Social Science History, June 16th-17th, 2022, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The program available here:https://www2.helsinki.fi/sites/default/files/atoms/files/baltic_connections_2022_program.pdf
5. Norkus, Z., Markevičiūtė, J. (2022). Regional Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) in the Restored Baltic States: Convergence or Divergence? The Midterm Conference of European Sociological Association (ESA) Research Network 36, Prague 2nd-3rd September 2022, https://www.soc.cas.cz/rn36midterm#prog
6. Norkus, Z., Klimantas, A., Markevičiūtė, J. (2022). Is Economic Growth Possible During a Crisis? The Great Depression of the 1930s in Baltic States. The General Assembly of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, 20th September 2022, Vilnius, program available at: http://www.lma.lt/uploads/news/id1646/2022-09-20_kvietimas_03.pdf
7. Markevičiūtė, J., Norkus, Z., Grytten, O., Šiliņš, J. (2022). GDP estimate for Latvia in 1935 using SNA2008 and regional disparities. 63th Conference of Lithuanian Mathematical Society on 15-16 June 2022, Kaunas, Vytautas Magnus University.
8. Markevičiūtė J., Norkus Z., Grytten, O., Šiliņš J. (2022). New Benchmark Estimate for Latvia in 1935. Seminar at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of Vilnius University on May 23rd, 2022. http://www.lmd.mif.vu.lt/lietuvos-matematiku-draugijos-seminaras-31/
9. Norkus, Z. (2022). New Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Benchmark Estimate for Latvia in 1935. November 28th-29th 2022. Central European Congress of Economic History. Modernization Processes in "Younger Europe", Poland, https://congressofmodernization.pl
10. Norkus, Z., Klimantas, A., Markevičiūtė, J. (2022). Celebrating 100th Anniversary of Lithuanian University and Facing New Economic Crisis: The Pecularities of the Great Interwar Economic Crisis (1931-1935) in Lithuania, XIV Conference of Lithuanian Sociological Society "Universities, Sociology, and Civil Society Facing the Crises", 02.12.2022, Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. https://lsdkonferencija2022.ktu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/426/2022/11/LSD_pilna-programa-1129.pd
11. Markevičiūtė, J., Norkus, Z., Klimantas, A. (2022). Latvia’s Regional Disparities: Comparison of Interwar Period with Modern Latvia. Data Analysis Methods fo Software Systems (DAMSS), 13th Conference, Druskininkai, Lithuania, Hotel „Europa Royale“, December 1st – 3rd, 2022. Program: https://www.mii.lt/damss/index.php/program/oral-presentations

 

12. The 15th Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe (CBSE) “Turning Points: Values and Conflicting Futures in the Baltics”, 15th-17th June 2023, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania. Panel “REGIONAL ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN THE BALTIC STATES IN 100 YEARS: History, Memory, Identity”. The program available here.

1st session. Chair: Gatis Krūmiņš, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Regional Economic Productivity Disparities in the Inter-War and Restored Independent Latvia: A Cross-Time Comparison - Ola Honningdal Grytten, Norwegian School of Economics; Jurgita Markevičiūtė, Vilnius University; Zenonas Norkus, Vilnius University

Perceptions and Attempted Solutions to Regional Disparities in Inter-War Latvia: The Case of Latgale Region - Jānis Šiliņš, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Demographic Trends in Latvian Regions in the Inter-War Period - Ilmārs Mežs, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

2^nd session. Chair: Zenonas Norkus, Vilnius University

Krūmiņš, G. The Financial Policy of the USSR in the Baltics after the Second World War (1945 -1950): Non-existent Investments. Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe (CBSE), Kaunas (Lithuania), 17th June 2023. - Gatis Krūmiņš, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Estimating the GDP of Soviet Lithuania (1940-1989) - Adomas Klimantas, Oxford University

Regional Differences in Latvian Agricultural Productivity after the Second World War (1945-1950) - Baiba Kļaviņa, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

 

13. Osis, K., Krūmiņš, G. (2023). Quantitative Data about Societal and Economic Transformations in the Regions of the Three Baltic States – Data Acquisition Approach. E³UDRES² Citizen Science Conference, 29th-30th June 2023, Setúbal (Portugal)

 

14. Session “Economic growth and regional disparities in the Baltic countries (1920-2020)”, 15th European Historical Economics Society (EHES) Conference. Vienna, 1 & 2 September 2023.

The first GDP time-series estimates for Lithuania 1919-1990 and their preliminary implications. Adomas Klimantas, Vilnius University/University of Oxford

Regional Gross Domestic Product Disparities in the Interwar and Restored Independent Lithuania. Jurgita Markevičiūtė, Zenonas Norkus, Vilnius University; Ola Honningdal Grytten, Norwegian School of Economics

The Financial Policy of the USSR in the Occupied Baltic States 1946-1960. Gatis Krūmiņš, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Regional Gross Domestic Product Disparities in the Interwar and Restored Independent Latvia. Zenonas Norkus, Jurgita Markevičiūtė, Vilnius University; Ola Honningdal Grytten, Norwegian School of Economics

Regional economic growth in Estonia over the long run (1923-2020). Martin Klesment, University of Tartu

 

15. Mežs, I. (2023). Language proficiency of the population of Latvia in census data (1920-1989). The international conference “Language and Power” dedicated to the National Language Day, 20.10.2023. Riga: Museum of Occupation in Latvia.

16. Krūmiņš, G. (2023). EEA/Norway BRP programme, a mid-term conference on October 18th-19th, 2023 in Riga.

17. Markevičiūtė, J., Norkus, Z. (2023). Statistical Estimation of the Economic Differences across Regions of Interwar Lithuania. 64th Conference of Lithuanian Mathematical Society, Vilnius university, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, 21.06.2023

18. Markevičiūtė, J., Norkus, Z. (2023). Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Unification of Klaipėda Region and Lithuania: Cross-Regional Economic Productivity Disparities in 1923-1925 and after the Restoration of Independence. 15th annual conference of Lithuanian Sociological Association, Klaipėda University, 6.-7.10.2023.

19. Markevičiūtė, J., Norkus, Z. (2023). Regional GDP Disparities in the Interwar (1923-1938, first estimates). DAMSS Conference December 1^st, Druskininkai, Lithuania.

 

20. International Scientific Conference of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences “Society. Technologies. Solutions 2024”, Valmiera, April 11^th-12^th.

Reports

Development of the Baltic States in the last 100 years: new knowledge and data availability

Gatis Krūmiņš (lead researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences)

Kaspars Osis (associate professor at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences)

Adomas Klimantas (guest researcher at Vilnius University, doctoral student at Oxford University)

Main conclusions (National and regional gross domestic product (GDP) in 100 years)

Adomas Klimantas (PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, researcher at Vilnius University). Gross domestic product of the Baltic States 1920-2020: main conclusions

Jurgita Markevičiūtė (professor at Vilnius University), Zenonas Norkus (professor at Vilnius University). Regional differences of the Baltic States 1920-2020, analyzing GDP

Olaf Mertelsmann (professor at Tartu University). Dry data or full of surprises: 100 years of Estonian statistics

Baiba Kļaviņa (research assistant at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences). Land use and its changes: Baltic and Latvian regions in 100 years (1920-2020)

Ilmārs Mežs (researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences). Regional differences of demographic indicators in Latvia in a 100-year historical perspective

Jānis Šiliņš (researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences). Time, space, and personalities: some unexpected pathways in Latvian economic history

 

Records of live streaming from the conference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQtkQUNJL0Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lOBhpdwW9k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuuu1-BiJRQ

 

21. Mežs, I. (2024). Changes in life expectancy in Latvian regions 1924 – 1931 / Paredzamā mūža ilguma maiņas Latvijas novados 1924. – 1931. International Scientific conference at University of Latvia 82^nd conference 21^st March, 2024, Riga.

 

Press releases on the project results

1. Initial release (2021, eeagrants.lv). Scientists have started to create a database about the Baltic States in the last 100 years

2. Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (23.02.2022). Yuliia Kovalenko from Ukraine has joined the research team of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

3. Vilnius University (14.06.2023). Tarptautinis projekto BALTIC100 partnerių susitikimas

4. Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (08.03.2024, LVportal). Starptautiska zinātnieku grupa pabeigusi vēsturiskā Baltijas valstu IKP aprēķināšanu pēdējā simtgadē

5. NHH Norges Handelshøyskole, Bergen (22.04.2024): Ready to present main results of the Baltic100 project

6. Final release (11.04.2024.)

 

Press conferences

1. Ministry of Education and Science. Baltic100 seminar of partners and press conference in Riga and Valmiera, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, September 27^th- 28^th, 2021;
2. Press conference at the European Union House (Riga), April 11^th, 2024;
3. Press conference at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Valmiera, April 12^th, 2024.

 

Science popularization articles

1. Mežs, I., Krūmiņš, G. (2023). Kā 100 gados mainījies Latvijas iedzīvotāja vidējais dzīves ilgums un ko no tā var secināt [How has the average life expectancy of Latvian residents changed in 100 years and what can be concluded], LSM 11.09.2023.
2. Lamų slėnis, interview with Adomas Klimantas (October, 2023) „Kaip kinta lietuvio gyvenimo kokybė/How quality of life of an Lithuanian is changing”, pp. 62-73 (reference on p. 73).
3. Gatis Krūmiņš: Saeimas 24 stundu maratons un nākotnes vēsturnieki, Delfi 10.03.2023.
4. Krūmiņš, G., Mežs, I. (2024). Latvieši un alkohols: neliels ieskats ligas apkarošanas 100 gadu pieredzē. LSM 27.03.2024.
5. Bruno, L. Ch., Grytten, O. H. (2024). Convergence between the Baltic and the Nordic economies: Some reflections based on new data for the Baltic countries.
6. Mūsu pienākums – starptautiski prasīt kompensāciju par ciešanām PSRS sastāvā. Saruna ar vēsturnieku Krūmiņu. LSM 14.04.2024.
7. Gatis Krūmiņš: Varam grūtos brīžos savākties un vairāk paciest. Žurnāls IR 11.04.2024.
8. ReTV 15.04.2024. Gaile, H. N. Baltijas valstu ekonomikas attīstība ir unikāla. 
9. LSM 13.04.2024. Pētnieks Krūmiņš: Atpaliekam no Baltijas kaimiņiem, jo neinvestējam izglītībā un zinātnē.