Finland is the last one of the non-applicant EFTA countries to conclude a free trade agreement with the EC. The author takes a favourable view of its prospects particularly since it has come into force just as a cyclical down-turn was getting under way.

Jabal al-Hoss is one of the poorest areas in Syria where UNDP has supported the establishment of self-reliant local financial institutions, sanduq (sg.) lit. savings box: a novel concept in centralized banking system. The sanadiq (pl.) are self-managed and autonomous in their decision-making,...

Policymakers in Syria are seriously concerned (a) about social equality and equal opportunities for women and men; and (b) about the effectiveness of financial institutions in providing adequate services to men, women and youth to fight poverty and reduce unemployment. Considerable social...

Die anhaltenden Asyl- und Flüchtlingsströme und der Antritt der neuen Europäischen Kommission am 1. November 2014 bieten Anlass für eine Debatte über ein Umdenken in der deutschen und europäischen Zuwanderungspolitik. Eine Abkehr vom 'Festungsdenken' ist dringend geboten. Die bisherige...

Civil conflict in Syria, started in March 2011, led to a massive wave of forced immigration from Northern Syria to the Southeastern regions of Turkey, which later had serious economic/political repercussions on the MENA region and most of Europe. This paper exploits this natural experiment to...