Original Inconsistencies in the Dynamics of Sustainable Development Dimensions in Central and Eastern European Countries

Sustainable development aims at balancing the performances of economic, social, and environmental sectors, a key question in this regard remaining whether progress has been made. Accordingly, our attention was directed on the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) and on their wellbeing particularities, with focus on the environmental dimension. The aim of this paper was to analyze the dynamics of environmental wellbeing in relation to human and economic wellbeing. Using national data of CEECs registered between 2006 and 2016, pooled, fixed, and random effects panel models were applied. The main results revealed that, in the considered countries, the economic and social dimensions report different evolutions compared to the environmental one. The economic components register a negative influence on environmental wellbeing while the human dimension and its social components are positive in relation to it, good governance excepted. Our paper also intended to analyze the relationship among the three wellbeing dimensions in both the efficiency-and innovation-driven economies of CEECs. In the latter ones, the economic component plays a greater role in determining the level of environmental wellbeing while, in the others, priority has to be given to human wellbeing components, especially the ones related to basic needs, personal development and health.