The project intended to explain the causes of high structural unemployment in Poland. It is generally believed that the high level of unemployment in Poland is determined to a decisive degree by factors such as a restrictive labor code, high degree of unionization and/or the unemployment benefits system. The research provides macroeconomic and microeconomic evidence that the employment consequences of a tax wedge can be more severe for the low-skilled. Consequently, it argues that a high tax wedge can be potentially more harmful in countries abundant in this kind of labour. These results should send a strong message to policymakers, especially those in Central and Eastern Europe. The project was financed by a research grant provided by the Ministry of Education and Science, Poland and conducted by a team of CASE researchers: Marek Gora (coordinator), Mateusz Walewski, Artur Radziwill and Agnieszka Sowa. It was completed in the first quarter of 2006.
{"title":"Tax Wedge and Skills: Case of Poland in International Perspective","authors":"M. Góra, A. Radziwiłł, A. Sowa, M. Walewski","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1411202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1411202","url":null,"abstract":"The project intended to explain the causes of high structural unemployment in Poland. It is generally believed that the high level of unemployment in Poland is determined to a decisive degree by factors such as a restrictive labor code, high degree of unionization and/or the unemployment benefits system. The research provides macroeconomic and microeconomic evidence that the employment consequences of a tax wedge can be more severe for the low-skilled. Consequently, it argues that a high tax wedge can be potentially more harmful in countries abundant in this kind of labour. These results should send a strong message to policymakers, especially those in Central and Eastern Europe. The project was financed by a research grant provided by the Ministry of Education and Science, Poland and conducted by a team of CASE researchers: Marek Gora (coordinator), Mateusz Walewski, Artur Radziwill and Agnieszka Sowa. It was completed in the first quarter of 2006.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"63 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128838845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. Papava, L. Grigoriev, Wojciech Paczyński, M. Tokmazishvili, M. R. Salikhov, S. Bagirov
The report reviews key issues in energy trade and cooperation between the EU and CIS countries. It describes historical trends of oil and gas demand in the EU, other European and CIS countries and offers demand forecasts until 2030. Recent developments in oil and gas production and exports from Russia and Caspian countries are covered in detail leading to the discussion of the likely export potential of these regions. The key factors determining the production outlook, trade-offs and competition related to energy resources transportation choices are also discussed. The report also covers the interests and role of transit countries in relations between producer and consumer regions. The analytical section leads to policy recommendations that focus mainly on the EU.
{"title":"Energy Trade and Cooperation between the EU and CIS Countries","authors":"V. Papava, L. Grigoriev, Wojciech Paczyński, M. Tokmazishvili, M. R. Salikhov, S. Bagirov","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1393699","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1393699","url":null,"abstract":"The report reviews key issues in energy trade and cooperation between the EU and CIS countries. It describes historical trends of oil and gas demand in the EU, other European and CIS countries and offers demand forecasts until 2030. Recent developments in oil and gas production and exports from Russia and Caspian countries are covered in detail leading to the discussion of the likely export potential of these regions. The key factors determining the production outlook, trade-offs and competition related to energy resources transportation choices are also discussed. The report also covers the interests and role of transit countries in relations between producer and consumer regions. The analytical section leads to policy recommendations that focus mainly on the EU.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121158673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Kaczmarski, Marek Menkiszak, Wojciech Konończuk
The CIS countries' EU-related interests are very heterogeneous. The countries themselves differ not only in terms of their geopolitical and geo-economic situations, and how those affect their relations with the EU, but also in their levels of ambition in relation to the Union, as well as their specific sectoral interests. Some Eastern Partners have set full EU membership as their strategic goal; others want to enjoy the benefits of the common free market, and the ambitions of others are limited to developing cooperation in selected areas. Similarly, the EU's policy towards its Eastern neighbourhood is multi-level and very diverse, considering as it must the different characters of mutual relations. The EU and most of its Eastern partners have a sufficient number of common or converging interests to expect reasonable cooperation between the two sides to develop and deepen. However, serious challenges and problems exist that may prevent this positive scenario from being realised.
{"title":"CIS Countries' Interests Vis-À-Vis the European Union and its Eastern Policy","authors":"M. Kaczmarski, Marek Menkiszak, Wojciech Konończuk","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1392790","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1392790","url":null,"abstract":"The CIS countries' EU-related interests are very heterogeneous. The countries themselves differ not only in terms of their geopolitical and geo-economic situations, and how those affect their relations with the EU, but also in their levels of ambition in relation to the Union, as well as their specific sectoral interests. Some Eastern Partners have set full EU membership as their strategic goal; others want to enjoy the benefits of the common free market, and the ambitions of others are limited to developing cooperation in selected areas. Similarly, the EU's policy towards its Eastern neighbourhood is multi-level and very diverse, considering as it must the different characters of mutual relations. The EU and most of its Eastern partners have a sufficient number of common or converging interests to expect reasonable cooperation between the two sides to develop and deepen. However, serious challenges and problems exist that may prevent this positive scenario from being realised.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"261 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131693510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The purpose of this paper is to measure and analyse how intensively CIS countries apply nontariff barriers (NTBs) to restrict foreign trade in regard to certain products and total trade. Five CIS countries were selected for this analysis, in particular Ukraine, Russian Federation, Moldova, Belarus, and the Kyrgyz Republic. We first consider measurement methods usually applied to NTBs, review other studies measuring NTBs in CIS countries, and then describe our own findings on the matter. This analysis was made in the framework of the EU Eastern Neighbourhood: Economic Potential and Future Development (ENEPO) project seeking to examine different aspects of the European Union’s relations with its neighbours to the East.
{"title":"Non-Tariff Barriers in Selected CIS Countries","authors":"Svitlana Taran","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1392803","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1392803","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this paper is to measure and analyse how intensively CIS countries apply nontariff barriers (NTBs) to restrict foreign trade in regard to certain products and total trade. Five CIS countries were selected for this analysis, in particular Ukraine, Russian Federation, Moldova, Belarus, and the Kyrgyz Republic. We first consider measurement methods usually applied to NTBs, review other studies measuring NTBs in CIS countries, and then describe our own findings on the matter. This analysis was made in the framework of the EU Eastern Neighbourhood: Economic Potential and Future Development (ENEPO) project seeking to examine different aspects of the European Union’s relations with its neighbours to the East.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"45 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123007378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper analyses the effect of the EU enlargement process on income convergence among regions in the EU and in the Eastern neighbourhood of the EU. The data used is NUTS II regions in the EU and Oblasts' of Russia over the period 1996-2004. The estimation techniques used take into account both regional and spatial heterogeneity. The main findings are that the regional income differences are reduced within EU15. The income convergence within the EU is mainly driven by reductions in the differences across countries rather than by a reduction in regional differences within countries. When differences in initial conditions in the regions are controlled for by fixed regional effects there are strong evidences of convergence among regions in all studied country groups.
{"title":"Effects of the EU-Enlargement on Income Convergence in the Eastern Border Regions","authors":"Fredrik Wilhelmsson","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1386701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1386701","url":null,"abstract":"This paper analyses the effect of the EU enlargement process on income convergence among regions in the EU and in the Eastern neighbourhood of the EU. The data used is NUTS II regions in the EU and Oblasts' of Russia over the period 1996-2004. The estimation techniques used take into account both regional and spatial heterogeneity. The main findings are that the regional income differences are reduced within EU15. The income convergence within the EU is mainly driven by reductions in the differences across countries rather than by a reduction in regional differences within countries. When differences in initial conditions in the regions are controlled for by fixed regional effects there are strong evidences of convergence among regions in all studied country groups.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"125 2-3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124475752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper confronts the traditional balance-of-payments (BoP) analytical framework (with its dominant focus on the size of a given country’s current account imbalance and its external liabilities) with the contemporary realities of highly integrated international capital markets and cross-country capital mobility. Some key implicit assumptions of the traditional framework like those of a fixed residence of capital owners and home country bias are challenged and an alternative set of assumptions is offered. These reflect the unrestricted character of private capital flows (with no “home country bias” and fixed domicile) determined mostly by the expected rate of return. As a result, the importance of BoP constraints (in their “orthodox” interpretation) diminishes and they disappear completely with respect to individual member states within a highly integrated monetary union. This does not mean, however, immunization from other kinds of macroeconomic risks.
{"title":"Rethinking Balance-of-Payments Constraints in a Globalized World","authors":"Marek A. Dąbrowski","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1303565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1303565","url":null,"abstract":"This paper confronts the traditional balance-of-payments (BoP) analytical framework (with its dominant focus on the size of a given country’s current account imbalance and its external liabilities) with the contemporary realities of highly integrated international capital markets and cross-country capital mobility. Some key implicit assumptions of the traditional framework like those of a fixed residence of capital owners and home country bias are challenged and an alternative set of assumptions is offered. These reflect the unrestricted character of private capital flows (with no “home country bias” and fixed domicile) determined mostly by the expected rate of return. As a result, the importance of BoP constraints (in their “orthodox” interpretation) diminishes and they disappear completely with respect to individual member states within a highly integrated monetary union. This does not mean, however, immunization from other kinds of macroeconomic risks.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129029521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The aim of this paper is to provide a framework for the analysis of implications of various trade policy options for Albania. We study the impact of implementation of the Stablization and Association Agreement, free trade agreements with South-East European neighbors and reduction of the MFN tariffs. We employ a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, which allows for evaluation of the likely impact of trade agreements on trade, output, factor rewards, tariff revenue and welfare. Our simulations indicate that Albania has a lot to gain from further integration with its neighbors and the EU. However, the benefits from regional integration can only be realized as long as Albania gains better access for its exports on regional markets. Liberalization of trade with all trading partners allows for a permanent increase of Albanian GDP by 1% on a recurring annual basis and an increase of wages by 3.4% relative to their 2000 level.
{"title":"General Equilibrium Analysis of Albania's Integration with the EU and South Eastern Europe","authors":"A. Kolesnichenko, M. Maliszewska","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1441167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1441167","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this paper is to provide a framework for the analysis of implications of various trade policy options for Albania. We study the impact of implementation of the Stablization and Association Agreement, free trade agreements with South-East European neighbors and reduction of the MFN tariffs. We employ a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, which allows for evaluation of the likely impact of trade agreements on trade, output, factor rewards, tariff revenue and welfare. Our simulations indicate that Albania has a lot to gain from further integration with its neighbors and the EU. However, the benefits from regional integration can only be realized as long as Albania gains better access for its exports on regional markets. Liberalization of trade with all trading partners allows for a permanent increase of Albanian GDP by 1% on a recurring annual basis and an increase of wages by 3.4% relative to their 2000 level.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128097026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Enterprises in post-communist economies have been subject to a wide range of shocks as the old economic order has been swept away. It has been claimed that among the most important of these shocks have been: elimination of soft budget constraints, foreign trade shocks, and over-devaluation. The paper aims at measuring the size of the shocks affecting the fast reformers of the Visegrad group and some of the slower reforming reference countries (such as Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and Ukraine), and assessong the policy responses of governments.
{"title":"Exit In The Framework Of Macro-Economic Shocks And Policy Responses During Transition: A Cross-Country Comparison","authors":"J. Rostowski, M. Nikolić","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1476258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1476258","url":null,"abstract":"Enterprises in post-communist economies have been subject to a wide range of shocks as the old economic order has been swept away. It has been claimed that among the most important of these shocks have been: elimination of soft budget constraints, foreign trade shocks, and over-devaluation. The paper aims at measuring the size of the shocks affecting the fast reformers of the Visegrad group and some of the slower reforming reference countries (such as Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and Ukraine), and assessong the policy responses of governments.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131116860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the end of 1991 dissociation of the Soviet Union and formation of new independent states out of its former republics took place. As an independent state, Russia exists since 1992. This event defined the period under consideration in our study: 1991-1994. Only starting from 1992 the Russian budget system has begun to perform the whole complex of the functions peculiar to any independent state. Before that Russia was a republic in a federal state where finances were highly centralized. In our opinion, any attempts to reconstruct Russian budget before 1992 taking into account all the proceeds generated in its territory from the Russian and state budgets cannot be correctly done due to lack of the necessary statistics.
{"title":"Budget Crisis in Russia","authors":"S. Sinelnikov-Murylev, K. Reznikov","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1476322","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1476322","url":null,"abstract":"In the end of 1991 dissociation of the Soviet Union and formation of new independent states out of its former republics took place. As an independent state, Russia exists since 1992. This event defined the period under consideration in our study: 1991-1994. Only starting from 1992 the Russian budget system has begun to perform the whole complex of the functions peculiar to any independent state. Before that Russia was a republic in a federal state where finances were highly centralized. In our opinion, any attempts to reconstruct Russian budget before 1992 taking into account all the proceeds generated in its territory from the Russian and state budgets cannot be correctly done due to lack of the necessary statistics.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"173 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124231307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article discusses among others the Pazos-Simonsen Mechanism - short term wage controls as a means of abrogating existing wage contracts, short serm wage controls as a mechanism for co-ordinating expectations and short term wage controls in semi-heterodox stabilization programmes as well as medium term wage controls in semi-shock Stabilization Programmes in Post-communist economies.
{"title":"Labour Markets and Wages Policies During Economic Transition","authors":"J. Rostowski","doi":"10.2139/ssrn.1478488","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1478488","url":null,"abstract":"This article discusses among others the Pazos-Simonsen Mechanism - short term wage controls as a means of abrogating existing wage contracts, short serm wage controls as a mechanism for co-ordinating expectations and short term wage controls in semi-heterodox stabilization programmes as well as medium term wage controls in semi-shock Stabilization Programmes in Post-communist economies.","PeriodicalId":175661,"journal":{"name":"CASE - Center for Social & Economic Research Paper Series","volume":"56 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122165662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}