This paper examines the impact of regional development on democracy building in the Czech Republic following the fall of the Iron Curtain and the autocratic communist regime in 1989. By exploiting the variation in regional development arising from the economic transition process, we identify...

This case study examines Saudi Arabia’s bold commitment to reimagining education and training through digital transformation, with FutureX as its flagship initiative. Across the globe, countries are working to equip their populations with skills needed for a rapidly changing world shaped by...

This report offers fresh insights into Saudi Arabia’s labor market transformation over the past decade, highlighting some of the accomplishments in reshaping employment outcomes achieved after implementation of Vision 2030 and the National Labor Market Strategy. Leveraging a rich dataset...

Emerging economies confront unprecedented challenges mobilizing finance for green industrial transitions while maintaining development trajectories. This paper examines implementation effectiveness across India, South Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia-major economies representing diverse political...

We study the impact of an election campaign on the labor market outcomes of incumbent party supporters. Using unique data on voters' political preferences during a pre-election period in Albania and a DiD design that compares the evolution of outcomes among close neighbours, we show that...

This contribution provides a first comprehensive mapping of the socio-ecological transformation (SET) landscape within the Austrian media (2015-2022). Utilizing a multi-layered mixed-methods framework that integrates Named Entity Recognition (NER), Structural Topic Modeling (STM), and Critical...

A credible EU enlargement policy remains necessary from a geopolitical perspective, but can only succeed through a more pragmatic and gradual integration approach. New members amplify the existing challenges to EU decision making, rule-of-law conditionality and political cohesion, particularly...

This working paper investigates the tension between market forces and welfare policies by applying Karl Polanyi's "double movement" study to pre- and posttransformation Poland. The analysis aims at providing a comprehensive perspective on how poverty relief policies impacted and have been...

The Serbian case illustrates the complex interplay between post-socialist transformations, market liberalisation, and the retreat of the state from housing provision. Despite a comprehensive legal framework, social housing (redefined in 2016 as "housing support") remains marginal, representing...

This paper examines the challenges that African governments are grappling with as part of a renewed international effort to expand electricity access. It shows how the crux of the challenge is twofold: one, to enable poor people to make productive use of electricity to raise their incomes and...

Amid widening gaps in innovation and productivity growth, growing geopolitical tensions, and high ambitions for green and digital transitions, industrial policy has re-emerged as a central pillar of European strategy. This paper traces its evolution from post-war sectoral interventions through...

Transition to renewable energy leads to assumed economic diversification; however, the institutional risks for hydrocarbon-dependent economies remain high. This paper identifies the conditions under which transitioning economies enter a novel dependency during the renewable transition. Our...

In recent years, the topic of green transitions has attracted considerable attention. Notably, these transitions are often framed as a skills issue, reflecting perceived gaps in the technical skills required for green technologies. Moreover, skills are frequently presented as central to ensuring...

Since Russia launched its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022, the European Union (EU) has pursued its enlargement policy as part of a geopolitical approach. According to the European Commission and candidate states, the EU could admit new members from 2028 onwards, while...

This report focuses on the implications of the changed inflation environment for the ECB's monetary policy strategy, including the lessons learned from both the low inflation and high inflation periods, and the transition from one to the other. The starting point of the report is the outcome of...

This study addresses the pressing challenge of transitioning to a low-carbon economy in BRICS nations by investigating the role of green finance policies in enhancing energy efficiency and driving sustainable economic growth. The primary objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of green credit...

After each economic crisis, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, governments have used public investment as a crucial tool to help economies recover quickly. However, a significant concern is how to structure such investments to meet the intended objectives while avoiding risks during...