Baltijos šalių BVP struktūrinių pokyčių analizė ; Analysis of structural changes in GDP in the Baltic states

Open Access

Abstract

One of the main economic indicators showing a country's economical situation is Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Cau­ses of GDP dynamics may be identified using structural changes analysis. Using that analysis there were researched the intensity of GDP structural changes in the Baltic States and the reasons of structural changes in years 2004-2008 were found out. The Baltic States use the same GDP counting system; although structural parts of GDP are the same too, but different sectors produce different part of GDP. Those differences may be caused by historical circumstances or by government's structural policy. The aim of this comparative analysis is to find out the main differences and similarities in GDP structure between Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. It is important to measure which GDP structural parts were growing the fastest and which of them made the biggest influence on structural changes in GDP. Only GDP structure of Lithuania is analyzed in scientific literature (Stankevičius, 2006; Valkauskas, Zaicev, 2007). GDP structural analysis would be more valuable if Lithuanian causes and intensity of structural changes would be compared with changes in other countries. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were chosen due to the fact that the Baltic countries are often treated as one region in the EU. The main trends of structural changes in GDP of the Baltic States and results of their analysis affect decision making and providing measures to improve the country's structural 88 policy. In shaping the country's economic policy, it is important to take into account the cha­ges in country's GDP created by economical sectors, because they have influence on the national economy.