Vladimir Putin's presidency will last until 2024 – longer than most other Russian or Soviet leaders ruled. This Policy Note provides a brief review of past economic developments and reform attempts. We argue that past reforms have in effect failed yet the main economic challenges currently...

An 'Appropriate Industrial Policy' for Peripheral and Catching-up Economies The global economy has been undergoing rapid structural change the impressive development processes in a range of emerging economies have induced strong shifts in global trade shares; international production networks...

The European Commission has set a target date of 2025 for Western Balkan EU accession, while also outlining a broader new strategy which includes Brussels taking a more active role in solving political disputes in the region, and upgrading infrastructure as part of the Berlin Process. We welcome...

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a vision to revive the ancient 'Silk Road' by means of massive infrastructure investments throughout Eurasia and Africa, was first presented by China's President Xi Jinping in 2013. China has identified the region of Central East and Southeast Europe (CESEE)...

The economies of Vienna and Bratislava have followed quite different development paths over the last decades. While Vienna's population increased by about 20% within two decades, Bratislava's population mostly stagnated. However, when measured in GDP per capita at purchasing power parties,...

Die Wirtschaften von Wien und Bratislava haben sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten sehr unterschiedlich entwickelt. Die Bevölkerung Wiens ist um etwa 20% angestiegen, jene von Bratislava hat dagegen stagniert. Nimmt man allerdings das BIP pro Kopf zu Kaufkraftparitäten als Maß, so hat das...

Since the Eastern enlargement of the EU in 2004, Austria has lost global export market shares. At the same time exports to Central, East and Southeast Europe (CESEE) have gained a significant portion of Austria's total exports. Moreover, in recent years Austrian GDP growth has slowed down and...

New Directions and Financial Constraints in Infrastructure Investment Investment in infrastructure is important to generating long-term productivity gains. The Western Balkans lack infrastructure capacity and investment – particularly in non-traditional sectors such as water, sewerage, waste,...

Structural reform proposals have undergone significant change both as proposed by IMF and OECD as by the European Union. From a narrow flexibility-enhancing ('liberalising') focus complementing a strict budget consolidation course, they have evolved towards embracing institutional reforms and...