This paper presents an econometric model intended to explain fundamental cross-country differences in the quality of national economic institutions by using the set of economic, geographical, cultural and historical factors. Our key research hypothesis claims that bilateral trade may be working...

The paper analyzes the changes in the Russian institutional system in the framework of fundamental interdependence between institutional and economic development. It reviews a number of established international indicators of institutional development. These indicators are used to study the...

This research is aimed at modeling the dynamics of the currency structure of bank deposits taking into account the ratchet effect (hysteresis), as well as comparative scale of presence and comparative dynamics of this effect in the CIS economies, including Russia. This study contains a general...

The paper provides an empirical analysis of the determinants of fiscal decentralization within Russian regions in 1994-2001. The conventional view that more decentralized governments are found in regions and countries with higher income, higher ethnolinguistic fractionalization, and higher...

"Public spending on agriculture in Nigeria is exceedingly low. Less than 2 percent of total federal expenditure was allotted to agriculture during 2001 to 2005, far lower than spending in other key sectors such as education, health, and water. This spending contrasts dramatically with the...

The effects of inter-government fiscal arrangements on variation in regional economic growth are analyzed for Russia, a country with large cross-regional differences and considerable fiscal redistribution. Moreover, fiscal reforms implemented in the first half of 2000s, which followed to some...

This paper aims to develop a detailed analysis of quasi-fiscal deficits and subsidies, and their impact on Armenia’s fiscal performance in the second part of the 90-s. Based on the flow-of-funds approach, we estimate the magnitude of the quasi-fiscal deficits and the incidence of quasi-fiscal...

This paper explores factors of economic decline in the small republican economies of the former USSR. It develops quantitative estimates of the costs of major transitional shocks for Armenia during the early transition, including the direct impact of terms of trade shock (price shock), direct...

The paper develops additional economic arguments to emphasize the potential importance of the Diasporas’ contribution to economic transformation of former socialist economies. At the same time, it argues that so far this potential has been grossly underutilized, especially in the economies of...

According to the Nigerian constitution, main public sector responsibilities are split across various government levels. Thus, no sole government could deliver radical improvements in service delivery on its own, which means that coordination and cooperation are pre-requisites. However, the...