Fiscal Deficit And Public Debt In The Western Balkans

In this paper we analyze how Western Balkans public finances adapted to the boom-bust cycle. Large capital inflows into emerging European economies during the mid-2000s resulted in rapid economic growth and convergence to EU income levels. This also resulted in improved fiscal positions of most countries, on the back of strong revenue performance. Yet, since the onset of the global economic crisis, many countries have struggled to adjust to the new situation of lower external financing and lower growth.

Government at a Glance: Western Balkans presents information on public governance in the Western Balkan region – covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, and compares it to OECD and OECD-EU countries.

This book explores the economic and social development of the Western Balkan region, a group of six countries that are potential candidates for EU membership. It focuses on the key economic issues facing these countries, including the challenge of promoting economic growth, limiting public deficits and debt, and fostering international trade relations. Given the severe impact of the recent economic crisis on social welfare in the region, it also investigates the nature and extent of social exclusion, a factor likely to produce future political instabilities if not effectively addressed by a return to sustainable economic growth. The contributions explore these issues in light of the major influence of EU policy instruments and advice, which are currently guiding the economies along an accession trajectory to future EU membership.

The adjustment problems of public finance in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are often misunderstood and misinterpreted by western scholars. This book contributes to the bridging of the gap between what is being thought by external observers and what the actual public finance reality is, as described by competent local scholars. Popular political economy research has remained biased towards advanced countries and has neglected developing and transition economies. Publications on CEE countries? public finances seem to be reluctant to apply the conceptual framework of standard political economy to these countries because of the assumption that CEE economies are different from their Western peers. But is this really the case? Are CEE economies so much different that none of the well-known ?Western? political economy concepts or models can be applied to the analysis of fiscal performance in the region? Benczes demonstrates that they can be safely applied in the context of CEE economies as well. He sees no need to develop a separate or unique theory designed for the study and understanding of (one-time) transition economies. ÿ

In this paper we analyze how Western Balkans public finances adapted to the boom-bust cycle. Large capital inflows into emerging European economies during the mid-2000s resulted in rapid economic growth and convergence to EU income levels. This also resulted in improved fiscal positions of most countries, on the back of strong revenue performance. Yet, since the onset of the global economic crisis, many countries have struggled to adjust to the new situation of lower external financing and lower growth.

This proceedings book presents selected papers from the 10th international conference on the "Economies of the Balkan and Eastern European Countries in the Changing World" (EBEEC), held in Warsaw, Poland, in May 2018. In addition to discussing the latest research, it includes papers adopting a wide variety of theoretical approaches and empirical methodologies and covering a number of key areas, such as international economics, economic growth, finance and banking, insurance, healthcare, agriculture, labor and energy markets, innovation, management and marketing. In addition, the authors discuss policy instruments and best practices for the region. This book appeals to scholars and students in fields of economics and finance as well as practitioners interested in the development of the region.

This book explores the key economic issues facing Southeastern Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina, within the context of the serious challenges that the global economy has faced in recent years. The book combines rigorous analysis of the issues faced by the region with a constructive approach to identifying solutions for a positive future trajectory. The book starts by exploring the economic challenges facing the world economy both before and during the global economic crisis. The second part of the volume focuses on south-eastern Europe, and especially on the Western Balkans, assessing the best ways of achieving a positive economic future for small open economies in the region. The final part of the volume examines the economic challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The final section examines the economic challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, arguing that it is most useful to view the country within the context of the regional and global economies. The book will be extremely useful for scholars working on European Economics, transition economics, and the global economy and the financial crisis.

The Western Balkans region has come a long way over the last two decades in achieving economic and social progress. With a population of 17.6 million, the region today boasts a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of close to EUR 100 billion, an average GDP per capita of about EUR 5 400 and a comprehensive process of integration with the European Union.