We study if and how social preferences extend to risky environments. By providing experimental evidence on different versions of “dictator games” with risky outcomes, we establish that social preferences of players who give in standard dictator games cannot be described solely by concerns...

Although microfinance institutions across the world are moving from group lending towards individual lending, this strategic shift is not substantiated by sufficient empirical evidence on the impact of both types of lending on borrowers. We present such evidence from a randomised field...

We study how the recent economic crisis has reshaped support for democracy and the market economy in 30 transition countries. Political values are cyclical and reflect a learning process. Support for the market and democracy has decreased between 2006 and 2010 in countries that were hit the...

We use data on the 48 largest multinational banking groups to compare the lending of their 199 foreign subsidiaries during the Great Recession with lending by a benchmark group of 202 domestic banks. Contrary to earlier, more contained, crises, parent banks were not a significant source of...

We identify structural breaks in economic growth in 140 countries and use these to define “growth spells”: periods of high growth preceded by an upbreak and ending either with a downbreak or with the end of the sample. Growth spells tend to be shorter in African and Latin American countries...

This paper investigates the impact of domestic and international acquisitions initiated by Russian firms on their operating performance. In general, acquisitions can be associated with synergy gains, internalisation advantages and higher market power. However, acquisitions may also give rise to...

The literature has identified the quality of political institutions in the transition region as an essential but understudied component of growth, transition and reform. This paper aims to disentangle the determinants of democratic institutions by investigating if high income inequality is...

Growth forecasts are at the heart of investment decisions and yet in emerging and developing markets they often receive limited support from quantitative models. This paper describes the main quantitative modelling techniques that have informed EBRD growth projections since 2009. The paper...

We review the likely impact of Basel III regulation within the European Union’s new member states, based on system-wide financial stability indicators and responses to consultation processes from national central banks and banking groups. Fresh regulations on liquidity ratios are likely to...

The paper looks at the effects of employment concentration on resource allocation with a particular focus on one-company towns in Russia: towns where a single company accounts for a significant share of total employment. Empirical analysis of firms’ production functions indicates that firms...