|
on Transition Economics |
| By: | Alberto Diaz-Cayeros; Ines A. Ferreira; Rachel M. Gisselquist; Finn Tarp |
| Abstract: | Inequality influences socioeconomic and political outcomes. Beyond objective metrics, how people perceive inequality plays a crucial role. Yet attitudes and perceptions of inequality remain understudied, especially outside western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic settings. This article speaks to this gap, providing insights from Viet Nam, a lower-middle income country with rising inequality. |
| Keywords: | Inequality, Regional analysis, Survey data, Viet Nam |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2025-62 |
| By: | Kumar Gautam, Santosh (University of Notre Dame); Ilirjani, Ermal (Albanian Development Fund); Ukil, Patralekha (San Jose State University) |
| Abstract: | This study evaluates the impact of investment in rural roads on household welfare in Albania. Using a difference-in-differences method, we find that treated households experienced a 35-percentage point increase in the quality of roads relative to control households and reduced travel times to the nearest motorable roads. The study also demonstrates that the price and value of residential and farmland increased in the treated communities. Household heads in treated communities were less likely to be unemployed, and there was a higher incidence of self-employment in treated households, which seems to suggest a pattern of households shifting away from paid employment to self-employment in response to improved economic opportunities due to improved connectivity. The study does not find a significant effect on household income, but finds an increase in consumption expenditure. In general, these findings indicate that investments in rural roads have had positive impacts on the welfare of the family in Albania. |
| Keywords: | Food expenditure, Income, Rural roads, Albania |
| JEL: | O18 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18116 |
| By: | Nina Ruer; Nina Vujanović |
| Abstract: | Migration to Germany is shaping the Western Balkans for better and worse, highlighting the need for reforms to harness benefits and mitigate drawbacks |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bre:wpaper:node_11297 |
| By: | Guglielmo Maria Caporale; Gloria Claudio-Quiroga; Luis A. Gil-Alana; Andoni Maiza-Larrarte |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the degree of persistence of China’s travel “credit” and “debt” series in the balance of payments. This is an important issue because the travel component in the balance of payments of travel is one of the main indicators measuring the contribution of tourism to a country’s economic activity, and knowledge of its persistence is critical to assess the potential impact of disrupting factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis is carried out using a fractional integration framework, which provides evidence of mean reversion in the credit series, but not in the debt series. The policy implications of these findings are also discussed. |
| Keywords: | China, travel, balance of payments, persistence, fractional integration |
| JEL: | C12 C13 C22 Z30 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12142 |
| By: | Anna Lipinska; Enrique Martínez García; Felipe Schwartzman |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the drivers of the 2020-23 inflation surge, with an emphasis on the similarities and differences across countries, as well as the role that monetary policy frameworks might have played in shaping central banks' responses. The inflation surge in the U.S. and abroad was set in motion by two global events: the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Pandemic-related supply disruptions, a rotation of consumer spending toward goods, and commodity price increases exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine resulted in unusually large relative price increases, which required time to be absorbed. A simple Phillips curve framework suggests that the inflation surge was mainly driven by "cost push" factors, such as supply shortages and relative price shifts. Tight labor markets contributed to the persistence of above-target inflation. Despite differences in mandates of the monetary policy frameworks, central banks around the world responded similarly to recent global events. |
| Keywords: | International comparison; Inflation; Global shortages; Aggregate demand; Aggregate supply; Commodity prices; Phillips curve; Inflation expectations; Monetary policy |
| JEL: | E31 E52 E58 F33 F40 |
| Date: | 2025–08–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2025-71 |
| By: | Dimitra Spyropoulou (Charles University Environment Centre, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic); Milan Scasny (Charles University Environment Centre, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates consumer preferences for passenger battery electric vehicles and their joint adoption with a residential solar photovoltaic system in Greece, where electric vehicle uptake remains low. Using discrete choice experiments, we analyse the preferences of 891 potential car buyers for conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles, comparing scenarios where a battery electric vehicle is offered alone or as a bundle with subsidised home solar photovoltaics. Results indicate that offering a technology bundle shifts consumer preferences, with the most notable effect being a decrease in the likelihood of choosing conventional vehicles. The willingness to pay for the bundle also exceeds that for battery electric vehicles, suggesting that installing PV systems adds value to BEVs. Key factors influencing adoption include purchase price, operating costs, wallbox subsidies, and normal charging time, while driving range and fast-mode charging do not seem to significantly affect consumer preferences. However, the analysis reveals substantial unobserved preference heterogeneity across all attributes. Robustness checks support the validity of our results. These findings suggest that integrated green technology bundles can accelerate low-carbon transport adoption, supporting the EU decarbonisation targets through complementary renewable energy and electromobility solutions. |
| Keywords: | Battery Electric Vehicles; Photovoltaics; Technology bundle; Consumer choices; Discrete Choice Experiments; Willingness to Pay |
| JEL: | C15 D12 D90 Q42 Q55 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fau:wpaper:wp2025_16 |
| By: | Jonathan Teagan |
| Abstract: | This paper develops an economic model of the Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) attention economy in contemporary armed conflict. We conceptualize attention (e.g. social media views, followers, likes) as revenue, and time and risk spent in analysis as costs. Using utility functions and simple game theoretic setups, we show how OSINT actors (amateurs, journalists, analysts, and state operatives) allocate effort to maximize net attention benefit. We incorporate strategic behaviors such as a first mover advantage (racing to publish) and prisoner's dilemma scenarios (to share information or hold it back). In empirical case studies, especially the Ukraine conflict actors like the UAV unit Madyar's Birds and volunteer channels like Kavkazfighter, illustrate how battlefront reporting translates into digital revenue (attention) at real cost. We draw on recent literature and data (e.g., public follower counts, viral posts) to examine trends such as OSINT virality. Finally, we discuss policy implications for balancing transparency with operational security, citing calls for verification ethics and attention sustaining narratives. Our analysis bridges conflict studies and economics, highlighting OSINT as both a public good and a competitive product in today's information war. |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2509.10548 |
| By: | David R. Baqaee; Ariel Burstein |
| Abstract: | This paper quantifies misallocation caused by limited risk-sharing and imperfect consumption-smoothing. We measure these losses in terms of how much of society’s resources would be left over if financial markets were complete and each consumer were compensated to maintain their status-quo welfare. Using exact formulas and approximate sufficient statistics, we analyze standard incomplete-market environments—ranging from closed-economy Bewley-Aiyagari models to multi-country settings with input-output linkages. We find that incomplete insurance against household-level idiosyncratic risk is very costly—about 20% of aggregate consumption—based on both structural models and sufficient-statistics computed using household consumption panel data. By contrast, the cost of imperfect international financial markets (abstracting from within-country heterogeneity) is roughly 5%, driven by the inclusion of fast-growing economies such as China and India. Unexploited risk-sharing opportunities among countries at similar levels of development, on the other hand, are fairly limited (less than 1%). |
| JEL: | E0 F0 F1 F30 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34233 |