Download or read book Boosting Job Growth in the Western Balkans written by Dmitriy Kovtun and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-01-28 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Labor markets in the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) are characterized by some of the highest unemployment and low employment rates in Europe. We analyze the poor labor market outcomes in these countries by comparison with the New Member States of the European Union and advanced European economies. Our findings suggest that long-lasting labor market weaknesses in the Western Balkans have structural roots: the institutional setup of the labor markets, labor cost factors, and especially the unfinished transition process. Finally, we offer policy recommendations for boosting job creation.

Download or read book Boosting Job Growth in the Western Balkans written by Dmitriy Kovtun and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-01-28 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Labor markets in the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) are characterized by some of the highest unemployment and low employment rates in Europe. We analyze the poor labor market outcomes in these countries by comparison with the New Member States of the European Union and advanced European economies. Our findings suggest that long-lasting labor market weaknesses in the Western Balkans have structural roots: the institutional setup of the labor markets, labor cost factors, and especially the unfinished transition process. Finally, we offer policy recommendations for boosting job creation.

Download or read book Towards Economic Inclusion in the Western Balkans written by William Bartlett and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-10-10 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The countries in the Western Balkans have been severely affected by the wars and conflicts that led to the breakup of former Yugoslavia, by political instability and the effort of creating new states, weak economies and high levels of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, and inequality. As revealed by recent surveys, such as EBRD’s Life in Transition Survey and Eurofound’s European Quality of Life Survey, life satisfaction in the region is far below that elsewhere in Europe. In recent years they had achieved a strong impetus of economic growth with falling rates of unemployment and increasing optimism for the future. However, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has brought about a sudden reversal of these trends and a renewed deterioration in the economic outlook, and an increase in social hardships that heralds a repeat of past failures in economic inclusion policies. This book identifies the key challenges in the areas of economic inclusion, focusing on the themes of labour markets, vocational education and skills, female entrepreneurship and the integration of migrants. It considers the opportunities for solutions to “build back better” once the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis begins, and offers proposals for more acceptable, equitable and effective economic inclusion policies.

Download or read book Migration in the Western Balkans written by Russell King and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-21 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Migration in the Western Balkans rectifies the under-investigation by migration scholars of the Western Balkans region, by bringing together recent research at a time when migration is a hot topic for the future of Europe. The book explores issues such as the complex geopolitics of the region, the relationship between migration and development, diasporas, and refugees and humanitarianism. Expert contributors present new research on economic migration, forced migration, diaspora formation and return migration at a time when migration is of crucial relevance for the future of Europe. The chapters shed new light on the multiple migration dynamics of a region which has had a troubled past yet stands on the threshold of EU membership. As a theatre of multiple migration processes Migration in the Western Balkans reveals new information on the region, and will be of great interest to scholars of migration, the Balkans and geopolitics. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies.

Download or read book IMF Research Bulletin March 2014 written by International Monetary Fund and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-03-26 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Research Summaries in the March 2014 Research Bulletin focus on efficiency of health expenditure (Francesco Grigoli and Javier Kapsoli) and employment growth in European Union countries (Bas B. Bakker and Li Zeng). The Q&A article looks at “Seven Questions on Financial Interconnectedness” (Co-Pierre Georg and Camelia Minoiu). The Research Bulletin also includes a listing of IMF Working Papers, Staff Discussion Notes, and Recommended Readings from the IMF Bookstore. Information on the IMF Economic Review—the research journal of the IMF—is also provided.

Download or read book Western Balkans Increasing Women s Role in the Economy written by Mr.Ruben V Atoyan and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2017-09-01 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Western Balkan countries have some of the lowest female labor force participation and employment rates across Europe. Almost two-thirds of working age women in the region are either inactive or unemployed: a huge bite into human capital for a region that endures high emigration and faces declining working age population. The paper uses both macro- and micro-level data to explore what explains low participation and employment rates among women in the region. Our findings show that improving educational attainment, having a more balanced family leave policy, and reducing tax wedge help improve participation of women in the labor force. However, these measures are not enough to notably improve employability of women, which require stronger growth supported by robust institutions.

Download or read book Social Exclusion and Labour Market Challenges in the Western Balkans written by Will Bartlett and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2020-08-27 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume focuses on the challenges facing the Western Balkan countries in their efforts to deal with social exclusion and social inequality while making progress in their reform efforts to join the European Union. It examines how states have failed to offer adequate social protection to those excluded from labour markets, including women, young people, and Roma ethnic minorities, a process that has driven high rates of outward migration. It also provides a detailed introduction to the main conclusions of the various contributions gathered here, and an overview of the lessons learned, which will be of direct interest to policy makers and practitioners in the field of social cohesion in the Western Balkans. The chapters of this book are revised and updated versions of papers that were first presented at a conference of the LSEE Research Network on Social Cohesion held in Skopje in 2017, comprising the latest research by leading scholars from the region.

Download or read book Late to the game Capital flows to the Western Balkans written by Zsoka Koczan and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2017-04-13 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The boom and bust in capital flows to the New Member States of the European Union have received a considerable amount of attention; foreign direct investment and bank flows to the region and countries’ participation in regional supply chains have been well-documented. Relatively little has, however, been written about capital flows to the Western Balkans economies, which are often perceived to be ‘late arrivals’ to large capital flows. This paper aims to examine how capital flows to the Western Balkans compare with flows to the New Member States, in terms of levels as well as dynamics. We find that while financial integration took off somewhat later in the Western Balkans than in the New Member States, it has increased rapidly, despite still much lower capital account openness. Capital inflows as a share of GDP are comparable to those observed in the New Member States, (perhaps surprisingly) diverse in terms of source countries and broadly similar in composition, though with equity shares higher than they were in the New Member States at comparable levels of GDP per capita.

Download or read book Impact Evaluation in Practice Second Edition written by Paul J. Gertler and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2016-09-12 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in 2011, it has been used widely across the development and academic communities. The book incorporates real-world examples to present practical guidelines for designing and implementing impact evaluations. Readers will gain an understanding of impact evaluations and the best ways to use them to design evidence-based policies and programs. The updated version covers the newest techniques for evaluating programs and includes state-of-the-art implementation advice, as well as an expanded set of examples and case studies that draw on recent development challenges. It also includes new material on research ethics and partnerships to conduct impact evaluation. The handbook is divided into four sections: Part One discusses what to evaluate and why; Part Two presents the main impact evaluation methods; Part Three addresses how to manage impact evaluations; Part Four reviews impact evaluation sampling and data collection. Case studies illustrate different applications of impact evaluations. The book links to complementary instructional material available online, including an applied case as well as questions and answers. The updated second edition will be a valuable resource for the international development community, universities, and policy makers looking to build better evidence around what works in development.

Download or read book The Great Cauldron written by Marie-Janine Calic and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2019-06-10 with total page 737 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping history of southeastern Europe from antiquity to the present that reveals it to be a vibrant crossroads of trade, ideas, and religions. We often think of the Balkans as a region beset by turmoil and backwardness, but from late antiquity to the present it has been a dynamic meeting place of cultures and religions. Combining deep insight with narrative flair, The Great Cauldron invites us to reconsider the history of this intriguing, diverse region as essential to the story of global Europe. Marie-Janine Calic reveals the many ways in which southeastern Europe’s position at the crossroads of East and West shaped continental and global developments. The nascent merchant capitalism of the Mediterranean world helped the Balkan knights fight the Ottomans in the fifteenth century. The deep pull of nationalism led a young Serbian bookworm to spark the conflagration of World War I. The late twentieth century saw political Islam spread like wildfire in a region where Christians and Muslims had long lived side by side. Along with vivid snapshots of revealing moments in time, including Krujë in 1450 and Sarajevo in 1984, Calic introduces fascinating figures rarely found in standard European histories. We meet the Greek merchant and poet Rhigas Velestinlis, whose revolutionary pamphlet called for a general uprising against Ottoman tyranny in 1797. And the Croatian bishop Ivan Dominik Stratiko, who argued passionately for equality of the sexes and whose success with women astonished even his friend Casanova. Calic’s ambitious reappraisal expands and deepens our understanding of the ever-changing mixture of peoples, faiths, and civilizations in this much-neglected nexus of empire.

Download or read book OECD Development Pathways Multi dimensional Review of the Western Balkans Assessing Opportunities and Constraints written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2021-06-10 with total page 654 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Western Balkans region has come a long way over the last two decades in achieving economic and social progress. With a population of 17.6 million, the region today boasts a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of close to EUR 100 billion, an average GDP per capita of about EUR 5 400 and a comprehensive process of integration with the European Union.

Download or read book Atlas of Challenges and Opportunities in European Neighbourhoods written by Pierre BECKOUCHE and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This atlas provides a macro-regional overview of the areas that surround the European Union, from the Sahara to the Middle East, Western Balkans to European Russia, Turkey to the Arctic. Detailing key socio-economic data as well as developmental trends, the maps provide a comprehensive territorial analysis at a local scale and explore the potential for regional integration and cooperation.These pioneering maps examine challenges that threaten this wide, yet inter-connected, region, including environmental concerns in the North, political unrest in the East, social factors in the Western Balkans, and the upheaval in the Mediterranean since the Arab spring. Coverage investigates such key countries and areas as Libya, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and the Ukraine as well as explores such essential issues as Europe’s energy procurement. In addition, it also presents a comparison with other world regions such as East Asia and North America.In the end, readers discover that territorial integration faces many shortcomings, but that deep regional cooperation would be a key driver for the EU’s sustainable future. This atlas features the main results of the “Integrated Territorial Analysis of the Neighbourhoods” research project undertaken by ESPON (The European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion). It provides scholars; local authorities and NGOs involved in cross-border cooperation; companies interested in energy, agriculture, water, transportation and communication; and interested readers with key insights into this important region.

Download or read book Competitiveness and Private Sector Development Western Balkans Competitiveness Outlook 2024 Albania written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2024-06-26 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the six Western Balkan (WB6) economies depends on greater economic competitiveness. Although the gap is closing gradually, the standards of living in WB6 are well below those of the OECD and EU. Accelerating the rate of socio-economic convergence will require a holistic and growth oriented approach to policy making. This is the fourth study of the region (formerly under the title 'Competitiveness in South East Europe') and it comprehensively assesses policy reforms in the WB6 economies across 15 policy areas key to strengthening their competitiveness. It enables WB6 economies to compare economic performance against regional peers, as well as EU-OECD good practices and standards, and to design future policies based on rich evidence and actionable policy recommendations. The regional profile presents assessment findings across five policy clusters crucial to accelerating socio-economic convergence of the WB6 by fostering regional co-operation: business environment, skills, infrastructure and connectivity, digital transformation and greening. Economy-specific profiles complement the regional assessment, offering each WB6 economy an in-depth analysis of their policies supporting competitiveness. They also track the implementation of the previous 2021 study's recommendations and provide additional ones tailored to the economies’ evolving challenges. These recommendations aim to inform structural economic reforms and facilitate the region’s socio-economic convergence towards the standards of the EU and OECD.

Download or read book Regional Economic Issues Special Report 25 Years of Transition written by Mr.James Roaf and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2014-10-17 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past 25 years have seen a dramatic transformation in Europe’s former communist countries, resulting in their reintegration with the global economy, and, in most cases, major improvements in living standards. But the task of building full market economies has been difficult and protracted. Liberalization of trade and prices came quickly, but institutional reforms—such as governance reform, competition policy, privatization and enterprise restructuring—often faced opposition from vested interests. The results of the first years of transition were uneven. All countries suffered high inflation and major recessions as prices were freed and old economic linkages broke down. But the scale of output losses and the time taken for growth to return and inflation to be brought under control varied widely. Initial conditions and external factors played a role, but policies were critical too. Countries that undertook more front-loaded and bold reforms were rewarded with faster recovery and income convergence. Others were more vulnerable to the crises that swept the region in the wake of the 1997 Asia crisis.

Download or read book Older Workers and Labour Market Exclusion Processes written by Nathalie Burnay and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-11-09 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book addresses the important and neglected question of older workers who are excluded from the labour market. It challenges post-capitalist discourses of active ageing with a focus on restrictive end-of-career and retirement measures. The book demonstrates how a paradigm shift is generating real processes of exclusion for important sectors of the population. By providing strong empirical evidence from different contexts, the impact of different life course trajectories on the risks and the opportunities at the end of career are demonstrated. The organisation of workplace and institutional frameworks which reinforce inequalities are also presented. As such the book is an essential reading for students, academics and policy makers who seek to understand how exclusion processes operate to the disadvantage of older workers in the labour market.

Download or read book Economic and Policy Foundations for Growth in South East Europe written by A. Bennett and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-10-29 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume argues that a renewed commitment to sound macroeconomic policies and structural reforms is needed for countries in South East Europe, or 'the Balkans' achieve to sustainable prosperity, along with enhanced support from the international community. New fiscal and financial architecture has valuable lessons for policymakers in SEE.

Download or read book Formalizing the Shadow Economy in Serbia written by Gorana Krstić and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-04-21 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The main objective of this book is to develop a strategy and policy measures to enhance the formalization of the shadow economy in order to improve the competitiveness of the economy and contribute to economic growth; it explores these issues with special reference to Serbia. The size and development of the shadow economy in Serbia and other Central and Eastern European countries are estimated using two different methods (the MIMIC method and household-tax-compliance method). Micro-estimates are based on a special survey of business entities in Serbia, which for the first time allows us to explore the shadow economy from the perspective of enterprises and entrepreneurs. The authors identify the types of shadow economy at work in business entities, the determinants of shadow economy participation, and the impact of competition from the informal sector on businesses. Readers will learn both about the potential fiscal effects of reducing the shadow economy to the levels observed in more developed countries and the effects that formalization of the shadow economy can have on economic growth.