Municipalities may have various motives for decisions on the mode of their task execution. Empirical studies – based on both public choice and transaction costs theory - have not yet provided a fully comprehensive explanation for municipal contracting out decisions. Therefore, we held...

This paper identifies the specific external barriers to SME development in Lithuania. An analysis of 332 SME owners reveals that formal barriers (taxes, frequent changes to and ambiguity of tax policies) and environmental barriers (low purchasing power, lack of funds for business investment)...

This paper discusses various ways to organise these consultations, so that a compromise agreement is reached on the solution of the (re)distribution problem. These institutionalised structures of consultation are referred to as 'matching zones' here. Practical experiences, mainly from the...