The EU Convergence Machine at Work. To the Benefit of the EU's Poorest Citizens?
本文使用欧盟收入与生活条件统计数据库（EU-SILC）2005-2011年数据，比较欧盟15国与新成员国的居民可支配收入，发现趋同机制对新成员国最低收入群体有利，但对欧盟15国效果有限，且生活水平差距仍大。
Abstract Social cohesion in the EU (European Union) is usually assessed on the basis of GDP per capita and relative poverty rates. These indicators show that the ‘European convergence machine’ led to greater social cohesion between old and new Member States (EU‐15 and NMS) until the onset of the crisis. In this article we offer an alternative perspective by directly comparing EU citizens’ disposable household incomes. Using four waves of EU‐SILC data, we explore what happened between 2005 and 2011 in the EU‐15 and NMS regarding changes in the lowest household incomes in relation to the EU‐wide median. Results show that, overall, the convergence machine seemed to work well for the lowest incomes in the NMS, but not so much for those living in the EU‐15. At the same time, differences in living standards remain quite large. This points to important continued challenges for EU policy initiatives in the social domain.