This note examines the grants and loans provided by the European Union (EU) and China to the Western Balkan economies. The EU remains dominant in grant funding, with annual Instrument for Preaccession Assistance (IPA) grants averaging 0.8% of the region's GDP, far above the 0.02% of GDP from...

The Country Opinion Survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in better understanding how Bosnia and Herzegovina stakeholders perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, media,...

Are railways always a harbinger of prosperity? We examine the economic effects of railways in Bosnia-Herzegovina under Habsburg colonial rule. Our novel dataset consistently tracks the non-agrarian population share of over 4,500 settlements in Habsburg Bosnia in 1885, 1895, and 1910, based on...

This study is an extended version of the case study included in the study on Multi-level governance structures in the EU enlargement countries. It presents a complete overview of the institutional decentralisation levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with tasks attributed at all levels of...

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is cooperating with countries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to improve their infectious disease prevention and control systems and public health workforce in order to prepare them for their future participation in the Centre's...

The banking sector in the Western Balkan countries has changed dramatically in recent years. A variety of factors have contributed to these changes, such as economic growth, increased competition, and the implementation of new regulations. As a result, the profitability of the banking sector...

With the growing interest in intergovernmental fiscal relations and theory of fiscal federalism, the academic study of subcentral public debt has gained prominence, particularly in developed countries. However, this focus has been less prevalent in post-transition economies. This article...

This paper examines the key aspects of corporate governance of stateowned enterprises (SOEs) through a comparative survey conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. The research explores two distinct perspectives: the state's view on the necessity and governance of SOEs, and the...

Economic governance is a key aspect of the EU enlargement process, mirroring efforts in the EU to strengthen economic policy coordination and multilateral surveillance under the European Semester. The Annual Economic and Financial Dialogue with Regional Partners aims to prepare these (potential)...

Technical assistance to develop a macroeconomic framework was delivered to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) between April 2021 and December 2023. The Quarterly Macro Forecasting Framework (QMFF) developed during this project is a quarterly framework whose main behavioral...

Technical assistance to develop a macroeconomic framework was delivered to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) between April 2021 and December 2023. The Quarterly Macro Forecasting Framework (QMFF) developed during this project is a quarterly framework whose main behavioral...

The World Bank presents this report for the WB6 to provide an evidence-based policy narrative to showcase the opportunities for the WB6 transport sector to contribute to the green, resilient, and inclusive economic development (GRID) agenda. It discusses both passenger and freight transport....

People in many parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are exposed to more toxic particulate matter (PM) air pollution than their neighbors in Western Europe. This is especially true for residents in urban areas, such as Sarajevo. The burning of solid fuels - often of poor quality - for domestic...

Migration has long shaped the demographic and economic realities of the Western Balkans, with Germany emerging as the primary destination for emigration. Since the 1990s, persistent emigration, combined with negative natural population growth, has led to significant population declines in...

This report describes the bioeconomy policy developments in Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine, associated to the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. The work extends the geographic coverage of the...

Understanding the cognitive perspective is regarded as highly useful to the field of entrepreneurship. This study aims to understand the cognitive differences between individuals who wish to start their own business and those who do not, as well as those who started a business and those who have...

Purpose The study aims to examine whether there is a difference in entrepreneurial intentions (EI) and intrapreneurial intentions (II) between current labor force (CLF) and future labor force (FLF). Moreover, the role of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a common determinant has been...

Financial literacy is crucial in navigating complexities of personal finance, enabling individuals to make informed decisions about budgeting, saving, investing, and borrowing. Financially more literate individuals are better equipped to withstand economic uncertainties, achieve their financial...

This report describes the employment and social situation of young people in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia - the WB6) and also looks at employment in Türkiye. It focuses on young people because they were particularly hard...

This report describes the employment and social situation of young people in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia - the WB6) and also looks at employment in Türkiye. It focuses on young people because they were particularly hard...

The Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) is a research tool that is designed to identify potential risks to media pluralism in the Member States of the European Union and in Candidate Countries. This narrative report has been produced on the basis of the implementation of the MPM that was carried out...

Soil contamination in the Western Balkans is a significant challenge, hampered by inadequate legal frameworks, lack of comprehensive field data, and insufficient site investigations. This report aims to support the JRC's efforts to fill information gaps on soil pollution across the Western...

The project's main aim is to strengthen cooperation within the Western Balkans and between the region and the EU on fighting organised crime and terrorism using modern tools and instruments. This will lead to an enhanced level of interaction and integration between the EU and the Western Balkan...

The project's main aim is to strengthen cooperation within the Western Balkans and between the region and the EU on fighting organised crime and terrorism using modern tools and instruments. This will lead to an enhanced level of interaction and integration between the EU and the Western Balkan...

This report describes the external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for the European Legionnaires' disease Surveillance network, for the detection, isolation, identification, and enumeration of Legionella species. The EQA schemes provide an outbreak scenario with packages of clinical and...

Given the global trends and initiatives for environmental preservation and transition to sustainable development, the corporate sector has been facing a turning point in corporate reporting. The sustainable business requirements also initiate a series of new challenges in the financial and...

ECDC is helping countries in the Western Balkans and Türkiye to improve their infectious disease prevention and control systems and public health workforce to prepare them for their future participation in ECDC's work. Technical cooperation with Western Balkans and Türkiye aims to improve...

This article examines the evolution of an industrialized and capital-driven timber extraction in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Habsburg governance from 1878-1914 and its social and ecological effects on the region. It emphasizes the role of both imperial policy-making and local socio-ecological...

In the context of encouraging economic growth and development, every country needs adequate financial resources, including Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter BiH). One of the key mechanisms in the context of obtaining financial resources refers to foreign direct investment (hereinafter referred...

The banking sector assumes a pivotal role in the economic development of nations. The assessment of financial indicators pertaining to banks holds fundamental importance in the evaluation of bank stability and sustainability. This research employs the MEREC (Method based on the Removal Effects...

The transport system is a crucial component of economic development in any country. Bosnia and Herzegovina, being a country with a diverse topography, faces unique challenges and opportunities in its transport system. This paper examines the potential challenges and opportunities of the...

Growth decelerated to 1.7 percent in 2023 from 4.2 percent in 2022 but has proven resilient despite ongoing headwinds, such as spillovers from the war in Ukraine and from the economic slowdown in Europe. Inflation has moderated from 17.4 percent in October 2022 to 6 percent, on average, in 2023,...

With the development of agricultural production, the demand for electricity correspondingly increases. To sustainably meet this demand, renewable energy sources (RESs) can be utilized. This paper explores the application of RES alternatives in agriculture to provide guidelines for enhancing...

Background One of the industries that was among the most disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic was the tourism industry. Hotel owners and managers needed guidelines on how to combat the "new normal" and enable the sustainable economic operation of the hotels they managed. Objectives This paper...

This report analyzes the possible impact of future coal mine closures on coal sector workers as well as workers in other economic sectors linked to the coal value chain and the implications for local labor markets. The labor market context in which mine or plant closures occur matters because it...

There have been significant improvements in public investment management (PIM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Republika Srpska (RS) over the last decade and the legal and institutional design is now ahead of many regional comparators. The effectiveness of the PIM framework is lagging behind its...

Since 25 June 2024, the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) have been engaging in accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. The EU wants and needs to provide a strategic response to new geopolitical challenges, especially the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. At the same...

This paper empirically analyses the determining factors of the growth in the migration rate in the countries of the Western Balkans. The analysis is carried out with panel data over 17 years from 2005 to 2021. The purpose of this paper is to analyse social variables such as unemployment and...

This paper examines the pass-through of European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy to deposit rates in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). We use aggregate and bank-level data to study interest rate pass-through by bank size and ownership for the period 2012-2023. In extensions, we also study...

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have made significant development progress since the last Country Economic Memorandum (CEM) in 2005, most notably in obtaining EU candidate status in 2022. Despite persistent political tensions, the country has enjoyed nearly three decades of peace. The...

This report outlines a strategic approach to introduce pay-for-performance (P4P) incentives for improved noncommunicable disease (NCD) care in Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). Developed under the context of the Functional Review of Health Systems'...

This paper explores the influence of socio-economic status on the education performance of male and female students in Bosnia and Herzegovina, utilizing data from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The study defines key terms such as education, socio-economic status,...