Wagner’s Law is the first model of public spending in the history of public finance. Wagner’s ‘law’ of expanding state activity, is the proposition that there is a long run propensity for government expenditure to grow relative to national income. This paper tests Wagner’s Law for...

Taking both the enlargement process, as currently defined by the EU, and the structural funds as a given, this Paper examines what is the best way for candidate countries to fuel real convergence. The experience from earlier EU enlargements and current economic conditions within the CEEC10...

We examine whether and how the educational background of political leaders matters for policy choices and outcomes. Using data on municipalities in Brazil from 2000-2008, we estimate the effects of electing a more educated leader in a regression-discontinuity design whereby policy inputs and...

The management of the COVID-19 pandemic not only depends on the stringency measures established by governments but also and more importantly on the underlying capacity of territories in economic and health and sanitary infrastructure. This study aims to identify how the underlying conditions of...

The Civil Society Facility (CSF) was established in 2008 under the Instrument for Pre-accession, with the purpose of supporting the development of an active civil society capable of participating in public debate on democracy, human rights, social inclusion and the rule of law. The CSF aims to...