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on Transition Economics |
| By: | Monika Weso{\l}owska; S{\l}awomir Ku\'zmar; Bartosz Totleben |
| Abstract: | This article addresses the origins of income inequality in post-socialist countries from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, from 1991 to 2016. The aim is to analyze the relationship between democracy and income inequality. In previous studies, this topic has led to ambiguous findings, especially in the context of the group of countries we are focusing on. We examine whether the process of democratization cooccurred with changes in income distribution over the entire period under study, and its impact on individual income deciles to determine who benefited most from the new system. The obtained results allowed us to confirm that the actual relationship between democratization and income inequality did not exist, or at most was illusory in the 1990s, but it was present, relevant, and had a proequality character between 2001 and 2016. During that period, the development of the democratic system benefited at least 80\% of the lower part of the income distribution, at the expense especially of the top deciles share of total income. Those results confirmed that democratization positively affected the shares of lower income deciles in postsocialist countries. |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2505.23336 |
| By: | Marchand, Katrin (RS: GSBE MORSE, RS: GSBE MGSoG, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, RS: UNU-MERIT - MACIMIDE); Liagkas, Pavlos (RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research, EdIn); Smith, Dani; Wojnar, Aleksandra |
| Abstract: | This paper addresses a critical gap in migration literature by quantifying the opportunity cost of labour emigration for countries of origin within the European Union, using Greece and Poland as case studies from 2004 to 2019. Despite the growing policy and academic interest in the effects of emigration, existing research has largely overlooked its economic cost for sending countries. Building upon the model developed by Radonji? & Bobi? (2020), this study develops a framework to estimate the total opportunity cost of emigration, including direct costs of education, the opportunity cost of foregone productivity during education, fixed costs of emigration, loss of GDP contribution, and offsetting factors such as remittances and foregone social benefits. The findings reveal substantial economic costs: approximately €305 billion for Greece and €175 billion for Poland over the 16-year period, translating to annual per capita costs of €23, 268 and €7, 047, respectively. Despite a higher volume of Polish emigrants, Greece experiences a higher economic burden, primarily due to the higher emigration rates among highly educated individuals. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aimed at reducing emigration outflows, facilitating return migration, and aligning education with labour market needs. The presented model offers a replicable and adaptable tool for policymakers and researchers to assess and address the cost of emigration in emerging and developed economies. |
| JEL: | F22 J61 O15 O57 |
| Date: | 2025–05–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unm:unumer:2025015 |
| By: | Vorbrugg, Alexander; Volosko, Myroslava; Tetiana, Grabovska; Miroshnyk, Nataliia; Polianska, Kateryna |
| Abstract: | Media play a central role in conveying what happens to land and ecosystems as they suffer war-induced disruptions when physical access is dangerous and restricted. We conducted a discourse analysis of Ukrainian media coverage on the destruction and recovery of landscapes and ecosystems since russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion. We found that, while much war-related academic debate focuses on questions of territory, questions of land are actively debated in Ukrainian media. Land is represented as a symbol of collective suffering and an archive of violence, but also a symbol of regenerative capacity and recovery. Land damage and recovery are related to various economic, environmental, social and health issues with implications for present and future generations. While environmental concerns risk being sidelined in the face of other urgent war-related issues, particularly their long-term implications, are emphasised as important. Beyond covering relatively obvious damages, media articles address underlying and complex issues of environmental degradation and recovery, which seems critical given the land-related challenges in Ukraine today. |
| Date: | 2025–05–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:da3nm_v1 |
| By: | Lovakov, Andrey (HSE University) |
| Abstract: | The Russia-Ukraine conflict has had a significant impact on international migration patterns, including a significant exodus of Russian-affiliated researchers. This study examines the scale, disciplinary impact, and geographic shifts of this migration wave by analyzing data from the Scopus database. Using changes in the most frequent country of affiliation as a proxy for migration, the results show a substantial decline in the net migration rate of Russian researchers from 2022 to 2024. Russia has been losing about 0.8% of its active researchers annually over this period. This brain drain wave affects almost all research fields. The most affected disciplines include Physics and Astronomy, Computer Science, and Mathematics, while Dentistry and Health Professions experienced comparatively smaller declines. Geographically, traditional academic destinations such as Germany, the United States, and Switzerland have absorbed the majority of emigrating researchers, while non-traditional destinations, such as Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kazakhstan, are also becoming important. However, large academic systems such as China and India have not seen significant increases. The findings underscore that this unprecedented brain drain will have both short- and long-term consequences for Russian academia and global science. |
| Date: | 2025–05–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:k8fbc_v1 |
| By: | Ebun Akinsete (ICRE8); Anastasia Flerianou; Frederick Herpers; Eleni Manousiadi; Lydia Papadaki; Ilias Katris; Phoebe Koundouri |
| Abstract: | The sustainable development of regions worldwide is contingent upon the blue economy, which encompasses all economic activities associated with oceans, seas, and littoral areas. The Black Sea, situated at the intersection of Europe and Asia, possesses an immense potential for the development of a prosperous blue economy. Nevertheless, this potential is accompanied by a distinctive set of challenges that must be resolved in order to ensure the sustainable development of maritime industries in the region. DOORS Black Sea, an EU-funded initiative that establishes optimal and transparent research support for the Black Sea, addresses these issues. DOORS establishes a system of systems (SoS) to resolve the impacts of human and climate change on the marine ecosystem, thereby creating 'blue economy' prospects and regenerating the Black Sea. This system connects residents, research, and industry. Stakeholder engagement is essential for the success, value, and impact of DOORS. Together with researchers, they advance science and technology, rendering project labour more significant. In an effort to assist scientists in the prioritisation of Black Sea issues, Multi-Actor Forums (MAFs) convene national stakeholders from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia, regardless of their background. The concentration is on blue economy policies and innovations that address gaps. This method also assists in the co-design of the region's system of systems, providing researchers with the datasets necessary to address environmental issues and expand the blue economy. This study examines the potential impact of the findings on the long-term expansion of the blue economy and related policy in the region. |
| Keywords: | Blue Economy, Stakeholders engagement, Black Sea, Innovation Acceleration, start-ups |
| Date: | 2025–05–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aue:wpaper:2537 |
| By: | Aleksandar Keseljevic; Stefan Nikolic; Rok Spruk |
| Abstract: | We investigate the long-term impact of civil war on subnational economic growth across 78 regions in five former Yugoslav republics from 1950 to 2015. Leveraging the outbreak of ethnic tensions and the onset of conflict, we construct counterfactual growth trajectories using a robust region-level donor pool from 28 conflict-free countries. Applying a hybrid synthetic control and difference-in-differences approach, we find that the war in former Yugoslavia inflicted unprecedented regional per capita GDP losses estimated at 38 percent, with substantial regional heterogeneity. The most war-affected regions suffered prolonged and permanent economic declines, while capital cities experienced more transitory effects. Our results are robust to extensive variety of specification tests, placebo analyses, and falsification exercises. Notably, ethnic tensions between Serbs and Croats explain up to 40 percent of the observed variation in economic losses, underscoring the deep and lasting influence of ethnic divisions on economic impacts of the armed conflicts. |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2505.02431 |
| By: | Immervoll, Herwig (OECD, Paris); Linden, Jules (LISER (CEPS/INSTEAD)); O'Donoghue, Cathal (University of Galway); Sologon, Denisa Maria (LISER (CEPS/INSTEAD)) |
| Abstract: | Carbon pricing is becoming increasingly common but raises equity concerns and is frequently perceived as putting higher burdens on the poor than the rich. This chapter discusses the reasons for unequal carbon price burdens across countries and population groups, through the lens of a comparative analysis for two countries with comparable climates but different income levels, Lithuania and Finland. The simulations consider multiple revenue recycling options, and they account for both the direct burdens from households’ fuel consumption and indirect burdens associated with the impact of carbon charges on the prices of other goods. With no compensation to affected households, average burdens are larger and also more regressive in Lithuania than in Finland, largely because of cross-country differences in energy expenditure patterns. Net distributional outcomes depend crucially on how carbon tax revenues are used, however, and carefully designed compensation can prevent regressive impacts of carbon-price packages. |
| Keywords: | Environmental tax reform, Energy budget share, Distributional impact, Carbon tax burden, Carbon taxation, Revenue recycling |
| JEL: | C8 D12 D31 H23 Q52 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17898 |
| By: | Chang Liu; Jingrong Wang; David M Reiner |
| Keywords: | Environmental regulation, domestic pollution leakage, air pollution, listed pollution-intensive firms, pollution-related investments |
| JEL: | L25 L60 O13 Q53 Q58 R11 |
| Date: | 2025–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:enp:wpaper:eprg2511 |