This paper provides an empirical analysis of the individual and macroeconomic determinants of reservation wages with a particular focus on the influence of unemployment duration. Data from the Estonian Labour Force Survey 2011–2013 and instrumental variable regression analysis are used for...

Flexibility of employment protection is considered to be essential for rapid adjustments in the workforce to changing economic conditions and for the reallocation of labour towards more productive activities. This was one of the main arguments for the new Employment Contracts Act in Estonia,...

The increasing gap between the transition countries with regard to both their economic and political performance cannot be explained by their different starting conditions after the breakdown of the Soviet Union alone. Rather, it is due to cultural and historical circumstances that shape the...

This article examines how the trade balance (or net exports) changed during the crisis. In the early-to-mid-2000s, Hungary ran a trade deficit as external indebtedness grew. Since the crisis, balance sheet adjustments by economic agents have substantially reduced imports for consumption and...

Before the recent economic crisis, part-time employment was very low in Hungary. During the crisis, however, the most rapid increase in the number of part-time employees within the European Union was observed in Hungary. Part-time employment increased in a number of European Union countries for...

In this paper, I examine the exchange rate exposure of Hungarian enterprises from a financial stability perspective. In connection with the recent growth in FX loans to enterprises, the central bank assesses the vulnerability of the banks’ loan portfolio to changes in the exchange rate. To...

Household consumption constitutes two thirds of GDP in Hungary. Accordingly, in addition to influencing expected economic growth, consumption plays a prominent role in shaping pricing behaviour. Consequently, understanding and forecasting the consumption processes as precisely as possible can be...

During the past year, a survey was conducted among Hungarian small and medium enterprises. The results of the survey suggest that a significant ratio of companies is directly exposed to fluctuations in the exchange rate, which may affect their profitability to a large degree. The majority of...

We study firms from 14 Western European countries to detect the influence of a vanishing risk premium due to exchange rate risk on equity and debt issues. According to our hypothesis, Eurozone firms in industries with relatively higher external finance dependence (EFD) issue more equity and debt...

In this article we estimate a small dynamic factor model (DFM) for the short-term forecasting of Slovak GDP. The model predicts the developments of real activity in the next two quarters on the basis of monthly data, which are published earlier than GDP. The regular release of various monthly...