The protracted recession in the euro area will continue to be a drag on the economic growth of most CESEE countries in 2013. By and large, those countries are small open economies held hostage to the excessive fiscal austerity pursued in the euro area and the sluggish progress on the part of its...

This paper presents the detailed analysis of real economic convergence in 27 former socialist countries. We focus on two concepts of convergence: absolute (unconditional) à3B2 convergence and à3C3 convergence. The period analysed is 1990-2005. In the paper we embark on a very wide empirical...

This paper investigates the importance of institutions as a determinant of growth and foreign direct investment (FDI) in 25 transition countries for 1990-1998. It introduces some novel institutional measures, performs extensive sensitivity tests, and checks for reverse causation. Estimation...

We investigate (i) the characteristics of real economic and price convergence, (ii) the relationship between economic growth (convergence) and real exchange rate (RER) misalignments within the European Union (EU) during the period 1995–2016. In addition to the relative external price level of...

We analyze four interrelated aspects of economic convergence and their linkages over the period 1999-2013, drawing on the experiences of 26 member states of the European Union, with special focus on the ten Central and East-European new members (the EU10). These aspects are (1) real economic,...

This note discusses the external environment, economic outlook, and key policy challenges for the six South East European Countries (SEE6) — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH), Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia — as they seek to reignite...

New Europe has never had it so good. Its income, quality of life and level of happiness have never been closer to that of the developed countries in Western Europe. With its per capita income at an all-time high and the quality of life almost indistinguishable from developed countries, the...

The Hungarian NIS has gone through a significant transition process since the early 1990s. The expansion of business R&D, both in terms of total expenditures and the number business R&D units, indicates a stronger base relying on which innovation capabilities can be improved, albeit from a low...