We adopt the gravity model to analyse the international trade relations of Western Balkan (WB) countries and of the WB region as a whole, using WIIW and World Bank data, over a period of 20 years (1995-2014). Data show a tendency toward better integration of WB countries with the world economy,...

It is well known that Southeast Europe is the least developed area in Europe. Using a methodology based on the idea of heterogeneous firms, this paper studies the degree to which firm heterogeneity and resource misallocation can explain the lower TFP in Southeast Europe. The results show a...

The provision of public services is an important way for weak states to build legitimacy, as long as the public regards the allocation of resources as impartial and fair. However, in societies where resources have long been distributed according to particularist and informal ties, it may be...

In this paper we analyse the economic effects of railway infrastructure at the national level for European countries as well as at the local level for Southeast European cities based on a novel railway database capturing decades of the 19th century up to the early 21th century. A panel fixed...

The present work uses long-term economic development data (1952-2010) as well as a detailed industry-level panel data (1963-2011) to analyse industrialisation patterns in Europe, implications of economic backwardness and the role of European integration in facilitating industrialisation and...

We analyse the effect of massive migration particularly from the Western Balkans and the Central and Eastern European countries on human capital and growth. In our analysis, we use a system of three equations to estimate simultaneously the effect of migration on human capital and on growth. An...

How to deal with significant external imbalances due to persistent cross-border financial flows which eventually dry out while accumulated foreign debts need to be financed from increased exports? Keynes and Ohlin, primarily, debated an apparently more specific issue of unilateral transfers in...

The paper focuses on Emerging Europe and sheds light on the effects of different types of financing constraints on firm growth – both in terms of sales and employment -, before and after the onset of the global financial crisis. It analyzes and compares a large group of emerging economies, on...

In this paper we investigate if tariffs affect manufacturing value added in 25 countries from Central and Southeast Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Middle East and North Africa over the period1990-2010. We use an instrumental variable approach, with the World Trade...