Intensity of changes in the economic structure and changes in GDP dynamics per capita, as exemplified by selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe

The purpose of the article is to examine the relationship between the intensity of changes in the economic structure and changes in GDP dynamics per capita in selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Design/methodology/approach: The following methods were used in the article: critical literature analysis and statistical data analysis using selected statistical tools. Based on data obtained from World Bank Open Data, the square coefficients of relative structural changes were calculated for four selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. The analysis covered almost 30 years, from 1990 to 2018. The results of these studies were then referred to selected theories of structural changes. Findings: The intensity of structural changes in the analysed period was not homogeneous, both in terms of time and subject. It would be difficult to determine the general trend or regularity in the years studied. Each of the separated time frames was characterised by different characteristics of the analysed variables, within which some similarities and differences between countries were noticed. At the same time, in the analysed years there were some similarities to the regularities described in selected theories of structural changes. Research limitations/implications: The research carried out in the article is only one aspect of the assessment of changes in the structure of Central and Eastern European countries. For a full picture of them, research should be continued, including in creating and dividing the GDP structure or the employment structure. Originality/value: The use of the quadratic coefficient of relative structural changes as a measure of changes in the economic structures of Central and Eastern European countries.