GIBRATOV ZAKON I JOVANOVIĆEVA TEORIJA UČENJA: EMPIRIJSKI TEST ZA MALA PODUZEĆA U POST-KONFLIKTNOM GOSPODARSKOM OKRUŽENJU

This article tests the validity of Gibrat’s Law and Jovanovic’s learning theory for growing small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in post-conflict economy of Kosovo. Despite evolving body of evidence suggesting that Gibrat’s Law does not hold, there is a lack of empirical evidence from transitional and post-conflict economies. This study provides econometric analysis of the relationship of age, size and growth of SMEs. The article is based on pooled SME surveys conducted by Riinvest Institute (2004- 2006). Econometric findings show that Gibrat’s Law does not hold in all model specifications while support the conventional Jovanovic’s learning theory based on growth-size age model suggesting important policy implications for promotion of small firms in Kosovo.Ovaj članak testira validnost Gibratovog zakona i Jovanovićeve teorije učenja za rastuća mala i srednja poduzeća u post-konfliktnom gospodarstvu Kosova. Iako brojna istraživanja sugeriraju kako Gibratov zakon nije prihvaćen, nedostaju empirijska istraživanja iz tranzicijskih i post-konfliktnih ekonomija. Ovo istraživanje pruža ekonometrijsku analizu odnosa starosti, veličine i rasta malih i srednjih poduzeća. Članak se temelji na istraživanju malih i srednjih poduzeća koje je proveo Riinvest institut (2004-2006). Ekonometrijski rezultati ukazuju kako Gibratov zakon nije dokazan, dok je prihvaćena konvencionalna Jovanovićeva teorija učenja temeljena na modelu rast veličina-starost što rezultira važnim implikacijama za promociju malih poduzeća na Kosovu

MENADŽERSKE PERCEPCIJE IZVOZNIH BARIJERA: UVID DOBIVEN ANKETOM PROVEDENOM U ICT TVRTKAMA NA KOSOVU

This study investigates the managerial perceptions of export barriers of Kosovo ICT companies and provides some policy proposals. For this purpose, the study uses a survey of owners or managers of the ICT companies in Kosovo. The data collected through an online questionnaire survey using a Qualtrics platform were analysed. The survey results reveal four significant export barriers: external institutional barriers, such as visa requirement for Kosovo to visit companies in EU and access to international markets, financing issues for scaling up and growth and human resources barriers, and difficulties in having comprehensive information about the target markets and finding the right partner. Findings from the factor analysis clustered barriers to export into four groups: (1) formal and informal institutions; (2) market information and networking; (3) skills, technical capacities, and quality standards; and (4) International branding, visa requirement and lack of government support. The findings will help boost the growth potential ICT sector, address their needs, and raise policy awareness of the importance of the ICT sector for generating employment and economic growth. The study provides critical practical implications and policy recommendations for government, business associations and ICT companies.U ovom istraživanju ispituju se menadžerske percepcije izvoznih barijera kosovskih ICT tvrtki i predlažu strategije. U tu svrhu u istraživanju je provedena anketa među vlasnicima ili menadžerima ICT tvrtki na Kosovu. Analizirani su podaci prikupljeni online upitnikom na platformi Qualtrics. Rezultati ankete otkrivaju četiri značajne izvozne barijere: vanjske institucionalne barijere, kao što je vizni režim za građane Kosova za posjet tvrtkama u EU i pristup međunarodnim tržištima, pitanja financiranja za povećanje i rast i za prepreke u ljudskim resursima, te poteškoće u dobivanju sveobuhvatnih informacija o ciljanim tržištima i pronalaženje pravog partnera. Nalazi faktorske analize grupiraju izvozne barijere u četiri skupine: (1) formalne i neformalne institucije; (2) informacije o tržištu i umrežavanje; (3) vještine, tehnički kapaciteti i standardi kvalitete i (4) međunarodno brendiranje, vizni režim i nedostatak državne potpore. Nalazi će pomoći jačanju potencijala rasta ICT sektora, rješavanju njihovih potreba i podizanju političke svijesti o važnosti ICT sektora za stvaranje radnih mjesta i gospodarski rast. Ovo istraživanje pruža praktične implikacije i prijedloge strategija za vladu, poslovna udruženja i ICT tvrtke

Imaging Molecules from Within: Ultra-fast, {\AA}ngstr\"om Scale Structure Determination of Molecules via Photoelectron Holography using Free Electron Lasers

A new scheme based on (i) upcoming brilliant X-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) sources, (ii) novel energy and angular dispersive, large-area electron imagers and (iii) the well-known photoelectron holography is elaborated that provides time-dependent three-dimensional structure determination of small to medium sized molecules with {\AA}ngstr\"om spatial and femtosecond time resolution. Inducing molecular dynamics, wave-packet motion, dissociation, passage through conical intersections or isomerization by a pump pulse this motion is visualized by the X-ray FEL probe pulse launching keV photoelectrons within few femtoseconds from specific and well-defined sites, deep core levels of individual atoms, inside the molecule. On their way out the photoelectrons are diffracted generating a hologram on the detector that encodes the molecular structure at the instant of photoionization, thus providing 'femtosecond snapshot images of the molecule from within'. Detailed calculations in various approximations of increasing sophistication are presented and three-dimensional retrieval of the spatial structure of the molecule with {\AA}ngstr\"om spatial resolution is demonstrated. Due to the large photo-absorption cross sections the method extends X-ray diffraction based, time-dependent structure investigations envisioned at FELs to new classes of samples that are not accessible by any other method. Among them are dilute samples in the gas phase such as aligned, oriented or conformer selected molecules, ultra-cold ensembles and/or molecular or cluster objects containing mainly light atoms that do not scatter X-rays efficiently.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure

Mapping business start-up ecosystem in Kosovo

The aim of this study is to critically review the existing initiatives of start-up support services for entrepreneurship growth in Kosovo. In the light of an increasing government and donor activities to support start-ups in Kosovo, there is a need for evaluation of these policy interventions to guide future entrepreneurship policy. Building on the political economy of small firm intervention literature and using mapping method the study identifies and critically evaluates the technical, financial and other support services to start-ups. The study uses secondary resources to explore the initiatives and understand the entrepreneurship growth ecosystem. The findings suggest that although there is an increased trend of business support services the entrepreneurship ecosystem has not gone beyond the traditional policy measures and in many areas remains in its infancy phase of development. Challenges remain in the area of provision of alternative forms of financing, incubation space and services and moreover, in the area of support for growth-oriented startups. The study concludes by providing alternative and additional policy intervention tools

Trade and Country Legislation as a Roadmap for Economic Integration: Focus on Balkan Countries

Purpose: This paper focuses on identifying the role of trade and legislation of a country for economic integration. Every Balkan country has claims to integrate into the large family of the European Union- EU. This context besides foreign trade legal infrastructure is one of the main determinants of this process. It is imperative that laws related to the process of economic integration should comply with EU legal directives. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data processing design (for legislation as a roadmap for economic integration) is in line with established international standards. It focuses on data published by the governing institutions of the relevant countries using deductive methods. It also compares data obtained from research in analytical and synthetic terms with direct access to literature, scientific journals, as well as official reports published locally and abroad. Findings: Today, economic integration has become a necessity of recent times. They are influenced by a large number of relevant factors and are received by political actors on the basis of whose political actions will bring about liberal or protectionist policies. Each state has its own legal acts and other legal provisions regulating the functioning of the country's legal system. Free trade and the implementation of economic integration are closely linked to "Fiscal Policy" as part of the overall economic system. Adoption of restrictive fiscal laws that impede the international movement of goods and services has detrimental effects on the development of international trade and impedes the development of good relations between sovereign states. Practical Implications: The elaboration of this paper is based on the legal analysis of contemporary economic integration as well as the economic aspects and modalities for the practical realization of regional integration. The paper presents data - on market performance and legislation that determines economic integration - which shows the current state of affairs of the Western Balkan countries in the context of such integration. Originality/Value: The data in the paper present the real state of commercial economic developments and legislation as determinant of economic integration in the Western Balkan countries. The focus is on the creation of adjacent legislative spaces of these countries, which enables accelerated integration with the ultimate aim of joining the EU

Photon and dilepton production rate in the quark-gluon plasma from lattice QCD

The photon emissivity of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) is an important input to predict the photon yield in heavy-ion collisions, particularly for transverse momenta in the range of 1 to 2 GeV. Photon production in the QGP can be probed non-perturbatively in lattice QCD via (Euclidean) time-dependent correlators. Analyzing the spatially transverse channel, as well as the difference of the transverse and longitudinal channels as a consistency check, we determine the photon emissivity based on continuum-extrapolated correlators in two-flavour QCD. Estimates of the lepton-pair production rate can be derived by combining the two aforementioned channels

A (2+1)(2+1)-flavor lattice study of the pion quasiparticle in the thermal hadronic phase at physical quark masses

We investigate the properties of the pion quasiparticle in the thermal hadronic phase of (2 + 1)-flavor QCD on the lattice at physical quark masses at a temperature T=128MeV. We find that the pion quasiparticle mass ω0 = 113(3)MeV is significantly reduced relative to the zero-temperature pion mass m0π = 128(1)MeV, by contrast with the static screening mass mπ = 144(3)MeV, which increases with temperature. On the other hand the pion quasiparticle decay constant does not change much compared to the corresponding zero-temperature decay constant. The difference of the vector- and axialvector spectral functions serves as an order parameter of chiral symmetry restoration. By analyzing this quantity we conclude that chiral symmetry restoration is already at an advanced stage in the spectral function