A study by Constantine Dimoulas; Athena Belegri-Roboli; Panayotis G. Michaelides; Despoina Papadopoulou; Panagoitis Karlaganis; Konstantinos N. Konstantantakis

Methodology and first conclusions:
In the unstable and turbulent economic and social conditions of our times, the design and implemen-tation of effective policies for inclusive growth is at increasing risk. Probably, the most crucial defi-ciency is the lack of appropriate data to support effective decision-making at the national and regional levels.
Although household surveys have been rising over the past thirty years, many social aspects in relation to living and working conditions, poverty and social exclusion data still lag behind in coverage and compatibility, especially in the least developed European countries.
With this survey, our aim is to draft a gap analysis of the InGRID-2 research infrastructure in the areas relevant to academics and researchers in the fields of poverty and social exclusion in the South-eastern European countries (Balkans). To do so, we initially identified the pool of researchers and academics working in those fields by carefully screening the short profiles published in the web pages of all universities and research institutes in 10 Balkan countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia–Herzegovina, North Macedonia). From this proce-dure, we identified and selected 333 academics and researchers who, according to their profiles, are involved in the field under investigation. Next, we sent to each one of them the questionnaire we designed and a cover letter explaining the purpose of our research. The questionnaires was sent to their e-mail address, in three successive ‘waves’. The first wave was in the end of January 2018, the second in the end of February 2018 and the third in mid-April 2018. The respondents to this proce-dure were 28 researchers and academics from 7 Balkan countries (Greece, Croatia, Fyrom-Mace-donia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro) from whom 18 come from Greece.

>>  There are multiple gaps and deficiencies in social research infrastructures in the Balkan countries: Many variables that are of high significance for the valid analysis of poverty and living conditions in the Balkan area are missing from the EU social surveys and from InGRID data sets: Valid data on informal markets (employment, economic activities), self-employment and occupation in rural and urban areas, validity of analysis in areas smaller than the region (e.g. municipal level) are crucial for the delineation of widespread social problems butare missing from those data sets.

Most data set s concerning the Balkan countries do not cover a sufficient time span for valid analysis and there are no adequate time series for serious social aspects concerning poverty and living conditions. The available data concerning the socially excluded groups (homeless, refugees, atypical migrants, addicts, etc.) are occasionally collected and are not homogenise.

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