The aim of this paper is to develop a comprehensive analysis of the shock therapy model of transition. As such the model requires an analysis of what I define as the primary elements: economic analysis, definition of a good society, speed, political structure, ideological structure and initial...

The aim of this paper is to develop a comprehensive analysis of the shock therapy model of transition. As such the model requires an analysis of what I define as the primary elements: economic analysis, definition of a good society, speed, political structure, ideological structure and initial...

In this paper, we employ a block structured near-vector autoregression in order to compare the reactions to euro area shocks in four new member states (Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Romania) and in the old member states of the EU. The methodology adopted also allows us to study the...

The European Union and the MENA countries fostering North-South economic integration (by Sándor Richter; pp. 1-5) Keywords North-South, economic integration Countries covered European Union, MENA Topics Labour, Migration and Income Distribution Europe's position in trade in knowledge-intensive...

In this note we elaborate on the effect of the modeling choice of the zero lower bound on the size of the fiscal multiplier. To this end we contrast two different ways to implement the ZLB in a New Keynesian model: the ZLB modeled as an endogenous central bank reaction to a contractionary demand...

Since a series of crisis events after 2007, the discussion about the adjustment channels of current account imbalances has been revived. We discuss the effectiveness of exchange rates versus macroeconomic policies to rebalance current accounts for a set of 86 mainly emerging market economies. We...

A few reflections on fiscal and monetary policy in the euro area (by J. Pöschl; pp. 1-3) Keywords fiscal policy, monetary policy, euro area Countries covered EU Topics Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy; International Trade, Competitiveness and FDI Unit labour costs, exchange rates and responses...

A central goal that has eluded most countries in sub-Saharan Africa is to effectively manage their natural resources, develop diversified and prosperous economies, and as a result, improve the standard of living of their citizens. This paper draws from the framework of diversification and...

Unstable Balkans (by Vladimir Gligorov; pp. 1-4) Keywords political tensions, unemployment, austerity Countries covered SEE Topics Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy Not a very Greek tragedy (by Jan Toporowski; pp. 5-7) Keywords public debt, financial market, monetary policy, currency union...

We examine the tax-growth nexus in Zimbabwe using parametric and non-parametric analysis. We use a two-stage estimation procedure that first generates efficiency scores for the country using a Data Envelopment Approach. We use the efficiency scores in the second stage to normalise growth to get...