In a number of countries a substantial proportion of mortgage loans is denominated in foreign currency. In this paper we demonstrate how their presence affects economic policy and agents' welfare. To this end we construct a small open economy model with housing loans denominated in domestic or...

Debt swaps as an instrument of international co-operation in environmental field were conceived and first applied in the 1980s. They were once thought of as "win-win" arrangements solving environmental and economic problems at the same time. In the 1990s it became clear, however, that (1)...

For more than ten years, formerly centrally-planned economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have endeavoured to redress their environmental problems. For most CEE countries, the record of accomplishments is mixed. One of the least successful areas of reform has been cleanup and restoration...

This paper analyses the environmental dimensions the past accession of Greece, Portugal and Spain to the EU in order to draw lessons for the current accession of countries of Central and Eastern Europe. A distinction is made between scale, composition and technique effects. Two major conclusions...

The article describes (concentrates on the description of) the employment development and social problems related to labour market situation in Poland during the transition period (before the EU accession). It consists of four parts. The first gives an overview of basic tendencies in labour...

The paper analyses the directions of inter-regional migration in Poland in the years 1995-2002 and points out some major factors that cause the migration. The analyses indicate the voivodships with the largest net migration flows (Mazowieckie, Pomorskie) are characterized by high relative GDP...

This article explores the process of labour market integration in the border region of Saxony, Poland and the Czech Republic. The underlying understanding of integration is combining institutional factors and the behaviour of market players. The sources of this conceptual framework stem from...

Disability insurance - the insurance against the loss of the ability to work - is a substantial part of social security expenditures in many countries. The benefit recipiency rates in disability insurance vary strikingly across European countries and the US. This paper investigates the extent...

This paper considers the education of the labour force based on an analysis of trends in and the relationships between job polarization and skills mismatch. Both job polarization and skills mismatch have become topics of increasing interest, but relationships between the two have been relatively...

The effect of transition from centrally planned to market economies on female employment is unclear a-priori. Many studies have pointed out that the emergence of labour markets created obstacles to but also new opportunities for women's employment. A frequently mentioned potential explanation of...