FUNGUJE EFEKT DOHÁNĚNÍ? KOMPARACE VÝVOJE ŽIVOTNÍ ÚROVNĚ ČESKÉ REPUBLIKY A SPOLKOVÉ REPUBLIKY NĚMECKO V LETECH 1993–2023

The aim of the work is, based on selected socioeconomic indicators, to extrapolate the living standards of the Czech Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany, thereby verifying the neoclassical theory of growth, according to which, under certain assumptions, less advanced economies are catching up in the living standards of the economy. In the theoretical part, the method of literary research is used to describe the economic policy development of the two extra groups. Furthermore, the literary research is used to describe the theory of convergence and divergence, which specifically focuses on the characterization and description of existing findings in research into the catch-up effect. The conclusion of the theoretical part is devoted to the definitions of selected socio-economic indicators: GDP (PPP) per capita, actual individual consumption per capita, inflation rate, unemployment rate, labour productivity, average annual net wage, human development index, life expectancy, economic freedom index, affordability of homeownership. The practical part uses the method of comparing selected indicators of living standards in the Czech Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany between 1993 and 2023. The added value of this work is the variety and complexity of the indicators examined. The comparison was made not only on economic indicators, but also on socioeconomic indicators. It is this broad view that can better describe the evolution of living standards than a narrowly focused examination of the economy's purely economic performance. Another added value of this work is the three-decade long period studied, from which longer-term trends in the convergence process are more likely to be observed. The hypothesis has been verified on the basis of a comparison of available data, as the Czech Republic has been catching up with the German economy in terms of living standards since its creation.