The need to protect property rights and fight against crime and corruption continues to be an urgent task for authorities in many developing and transition countries. This paper identifies the factors explaining why some enterprises are more likely to be targeted by crime than others, and...

This paper analyses the statistical properties of annual inflation forecasts prepared by the EBRD for 25 transition countries between 1994 and 2005. The empirical results show that EBRD forecasts are mostly unbiased. Late within-year forecasts are also found to be efficient. Forecast accuracy is...

This paper explores the relationship between country-level skills and enterprise-level training, and the association of these with economic performance and enterprise behaviour. Country-level data on the quality of human capital, taken from several surveys conducted by the IEA and OECD during...

Low-income households spend a substantial share of their income on utility services such as electricity, heating and water. The difficulty these socially vulnerable consumers have in affording further tariff increases is often used as an argument against tariff reform. However, detailed...

The economies of central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have traditionally been very energy intensive. Energy intensity (defined as energy use per GDP) has decreased in the course of transition, but progress has been uneven and most transition countries still use several times as...

This paper examines the different strategies adopted by individuals in transition economies to cope with labour market restructuring. Using micro-data from seven countries at different stages of transition, we focus on “active” coping strategies, in particular mobility and entrepreneurship....

This paper examines the performance of 515 banks in 16 transition economies for the years 1994-99 based on their public financial accounts. We first examine lending behaviour and probability distribution of bank profitability to determine whether these banks exhibit behaviour and performance...

We analyse the principal objectives and constraints of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), using data from a survey of 437 owners and top managers (CEOs) of SMEs in Russia and Bulgaria. The CEOs display similar views and identify a small number of specific constraints as being the most...

Their name suggests that the multilateral development banks (MDBs) should provide finance for investments in human and physical capital that promote development. The interpretation of this broad mandate, however, has changed significantly over time. One reassessment occurred when the European...

Under the Kyoto Protocol, transition countries are expected to become important players in the emerging market for greenhouse gas emission reductions, as they can reduce emissions at a relatively low cost. However, the attractiveness of the region as a supplier of emission reductions will not...