In Russia, Reducing Poverty through Growth and Social Policy Reform (2005) reports that poverty peaked in 1999 because of a collapse in incomes and jump in inequality. However the economic rebound after the crisis was impressive. The poverty rate was halved between 1999 and 2002, from about 42 percent of the population in 1999 to 20 percent in 2002.

 In Moldova, a report titled Recession, Recovery, and Poverty in Moldova (2004) shows that growth and income poverty are closely tied - poverty rose sharply during the recession in the wake of the Russian crisis, but receded during the subsequent recovery. In 1999, 71 percent of the Moldovan population was poor, but by 2002, the poverty rate had dropped to 48 percent.

 In Belarus, the Poverty Assessment (2004) reports that poverty which affected 39 percent of population in 1996 fell to 27 percent in 2002, and dropped further to 18 percent in 2004, implying that about 2 million people moved out of poverty during that period. Strong growth in labor-intensive sectors backed by government wage and income policies helped ensure broad-based growth.

 In Poland, Growth, Employment and Living Standards in Pre-Accession Poland (2004) shows that slow economic growth and growing inequalities combined to increase poverty after 1998—from around 13 percent of the population in 1998 to 15 percent in 2001. Moreover, poverty has become increasingly a “permanent” phenomenon associated with lack of skills, long-term unemployment, and residence in small towns or in particular regions.

 In the Kyrgyz Republic, as described in Enhancing Pro-Poor Growth (2003), an estimated 300,000 people were pulled out of poverty between 2000 and 2001. According to a national survey, out of every 100 poor people in 1998, 23 were thought to have escaped poverty by 2001.

 In Georgia, the Poverty Update (2002) and subsequent analysis focused on a key riddle: Why, despite positive growth, was there no poverty reduction in the country? The extreme poverty incidence edged up during 1998–2003 from around 14 percent to 17 percent of the population. Poverty stood at around 50 percent and inequality increased.

 In Ukraine, the forthcoming PULSE (Programmatic Ukraine Living Standards Evaluation) or Poverty and Regional Developments in a Growing Economy report will be launched on October 20, 2005.  It will analyze linkages between growth, the evolution of economic sectors, and poverty.  Visit the World Bank's Ukraine website for more information.