Case Studies on Impediments to Exports in Small Transition Economies

This series of enterprise case studies grew out from a 1995-1996 research project at IIASA. It acknowledged the importance of export development for the recovery of the economies of Central and Eastern Europe following their deep transformational recession in 1990-1994. The main goal was a systematic empirical analysis of the different kinds of impediments to exports in various small East European countries. The project included the coordinated elaboration of country studies for seven small transitional economies (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and the writing of three topical studies. The authors of the country studies and the author of the topical study on Russia were requested to base their work on 20 enterprise case studies each (eventually the Russian study was based on 10 cases). Before the start of the research a common scheme of the enterprise case studies was discussed and agreed upon with the authors. After completing their work the authors were asked to supplement a short version of their case studies to their main text. Eventually it was decided that, due to the length of the full text, two related publications would be arranged, one book made up of the country studies and topical studies, and another of the enterprise case studies. The book was published by Edward Elgar: Cooper, R. and Gács, J. (Eds.) (1997) Trade Growth in Transition Economies: Export Impediments for Central and Eastern Europe, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK. The second publication is the present series of case studies

Preservation of National Identity and Interests in the Enlarged EU. ZEI Discussion Papers C. 146, 2005

[From the Introduction]. The goal of this paper is to deal with the solution to the problem of preserving national identity in national interest as relevant element of welfare of population in accessing countries and (and, to that extend, in existing small and less developed EU members). First, basic notions of national identity and interest will be defined and placed in theoretical framework. Second, presence of these notions (“national” against “European”) in EU constitution will be reviewed and formal criteria for deciding on substance of national interests in different fields of life will be proposed. Third, these criteria will be applied to economic sphere of life and at the end, to other sphere of life. The intention is to define which solutions are in national interest to preserve national identity and thus achieve the optimal welfare of population, which is possible under available resources

Montenegrin Quarterly Macroeconomic Econometric Model

Specific features of quarterly econometric model for Montenegro are dealing with the euroization of the economy, de facto separation of Montenegrin economy from Serbian economy. The model is specified with final demand as driving force of the economic growth, but, in addition, with some specific detail of supply side economics regarding negative role of government expenditures and taxation on some forms of activity. Key features of the model are: inclusion of relevant real and financial sectors of the economy, estimation of labour and capital market, division of labour market on tradable and non-tradable part, creation of activity variable in addition to industrial production and identifying final demand as driving force of the economy. Special features are connected with peculiarities of Montenegrin economy, which include lack of domestic currency and fiscal restraint following Maastricht criteria. Model enables the analysis of measures of monetary, fiscal and some employment policy. The ultimate goal of building model was to describe functioning of Montenegrin economy which needs to be better understood by authorities (government, central bank). Next, model is intended to help identifying and quantifying appropriate measures of economic policy; their quantification should be consistent with the major economic goals authorities declared in their yearly economic policy resolutions.macroeconomic models, economic policy, econometric models, transitional economies, Montenegro, economic systems