| Events | |
| WARSAW, 3 September, 4pm Macroeconomic adjustments in Baltic countries | |
Latest Publications How to counteract shadow employment in Poland? (E-brief no 6/2008) Kazakh Inflation- Brief Observations and Recommendations (E-brief no 5/2008) Economic Feasibility, General Economic Impact and Implications of a Free Trade Agreement Between the European Union and Georgia (Report No. 79) EC Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements: Implementing a New EU Security Approach in the Neighbourhood (Studies and Analyses No. 363 ) CASE Brochure Click HERE to see our informational brochure which gives a brief and colorful overview of CASE. | |
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| Last update 2008-06-27 |
 Georgia: what implications of Free Trade Agreement with the EU?The report by CASE and Global Insight on “Economic Feasibility, General Economic Impact and Implications of a Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Georgia” studies economic implications of different degrees of integration between Georgia and the EU. The scenarios range from a simple removal of the remaining tariffs to a more complete elimination of barriers to trade and investment leading to a significant improvement of the business environment in Georgia. Following a fact-finding mission to Tbilisi in October 2007 the authors discuss the remaining challenges to institutional and regulatory harmonization in trade between the EU and Georgia, obstacles to further development of service sectors and FDI into Georgia along with the results of the survey of non-tariff barriers faced by the Georgian exporters to the EU. | ||||||
 Globalization is the great economic and political force of our era. Behind it are: declining costs of communication and transport, the worldwide move towards a liberal market economy and the incorporation of billions of people into the world economy for the first time – argued Martin Wolf, Associate Editor & Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times at the 2007 CASE Conference “Winds of Change: The Impact of Globalization on Europe and Asia”. | ||||||
 Macroeconomic adjustment in Baltic countries: hard or soft landing?On September 3th at 16.00 CASE will be hosting a seminar on the subject of "Macroeconomic adjustment in Baltic countries: hard or soft landing?". The guest lecturer will be Dr Christoph B. Rosenberg, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s regional office for Central Europe and the Baltics. Dr Rosenberg had been also active as a Deputy Division Chief in the Policy Development Department, resident representative in Uzbekistan and as the economist in the European II and the African Department. Prior to working for the IMF, Dr Rosenberg had been a lecturer at the University of Rosenberg as well as a free-lance journalist for various German newspapers and business magazines. Dr Rosenberg speaks English, German, French, Russian and Polish. | ||||||
 Challenges of GlobalizationWe are pleased to inform you that the book based on the CASE 2007 International Conference on Winds of Change: The Impact of Globalization on Europe and Asia held in Kyiv on March 23-24, 2007 was just published. The book entitled "Challenges of Globalization: Imbalances and Growth" and edited by Anders Aslund and Marek D±browski, addresses the growing macroeconomic imbalances and the challenges of globalization and long-term economic growth, with focus on Europe and Asia. Various aspects of macroeconomic imbalances are the theme of the first six chapters. The second part of the book discusses how the capitalist model of economic development, which has delivered all this growth, is developing or should evolve. The last two chapters consider options available to European policymakers to compete with and adjust to the rapidly growing East Asian Tigers and China. | ||||||
 Member of CASE Advisory Council nominated Chief Economist of IMFSimon Johnson, a distinguished professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and member of the CASE Advisory Council since 2004, was nominated as the new chief economist of the International Monetary Fund by Rodrigo Rato, the Fund's managing director. Prof. Johnson will join the IMF in his new role as leader of the research department in late March. | ||||||
 Study on Price Convergence appears in DG ECFIN Economic PapersPrzemys³aw Wozniak, a member of the CASE Supervisory Council, together with a team of economists from DIW Berlin, are the authors of a study on the effects of the EU-10 enlargement on price convergence in the enlarged internal market. The paper was published in the “Economic Papers” series produced by the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN). The results of the analysis of comparative price levels in the EU-25 confirmed the presence of price convergence. Moreover, it found that both the catching up effect of the EU-10 and increased competitiveness pressure on prices have been important factors for explaining price convergence. In addition, both effects seem to be more pronounced for the EU-10 than for the EU-15. | ||||||
 Changes at CASECASE would like to wish Joanna Binienda and Izabela Marcinkowska farewell and good luck! Joanna Binienda, who was with CASE for eight years in the PR division, has left to complete her Masters degree in Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw. Izabela worked as Research Program Officer at CASE and has now returned to the University of Torino in Italy to begin her PhD degree in economics. We hope to see them again soon at CASE. We also welcome Beata Matysiewicz, our newest Research Program Officer. | ||||||
 Annual Report 2007We are pleased to inform that the Annual Report 2007 was just published. Among the most important institutional achievements of CASE in 2007 the report quotes: focusing on the European Union economic relations with its neighbouring countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, expanding CASE geographic scope to Middle East and Northern Africa, strenghtening CASE network activities and increasing its visibility in Brussels and in other decision-making bodies. | ||||||
 Challenges to China's GrowthIn the latest paper in the CASE Network Studies and Analyses series, Dr. Wing Thye Woo asks, "What could derail China's high growth?" He draws an analogy between China and a speeding car and predicts that a crash could occur due to: (1) the breakdown of an economic mechanism (2) a flaw in governance that creates social disorders or (3) the loss of economic viability e.g. an environmental collapse or an export collapse. The fact that China has recently declared that its most important task is to build a Harmonious Society (described as a democratic society under the rule of law and living in harmony with nature) suggests that improvements in governance and protection of the environment are among the most serious challenges to achieving sustainable development. Wing Thye Woo is a senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Professor of Economics at the University of California at Davis, and member of the CASE Advisory council. The paper was presented within the BRE-CASE seminar series on Oct. 11th. Read the abstract and full paper HERE. Video clips of the presentation will be available online by next week. | ||||||
 CASE co-hosting the energy workshopOne day workshop on "The Economic Aspects of the Energy Sector in CIS Countries" presented the key findings from the project carried by CASE for European Commission’s DG ECFIN. The workshop took place at the premises of the EC Delegation in Moscow. The topics covered included key macroeconomic issues related to energy sector functioning in the CIS, CIS role for the EU energy supply, and strategies and policy options for the energy sector development in the CIS region. The report has just been published in the European Economy. Economic Paper Series of the DG ECFIN. | ||||||
 EU Migration Policy creates instability rather than solidarity in the regionIn the recent CASE Report, State of the Art: The Nexus between European Neighborhood Policy and Justice and Home Affairs, authors Elspeth Guild, Viktoriya Khasson and Miriam Mir of CEPS examine the migration policies developed within the European Neighborhood Policy. They conclude that the ENP migration policy simply repackages much of what has already been agreed upon with third countries. "As regards irregular migration, the emphasis is on placing obligations on the neighbours to act as the buffer between the EU and other third countries...Instead of reinforcing solidarity in the region, such an approach is likely to create tension and instability." | ||||||
 Euro Area: Current Account ImbalancesA real appreciation of the euro against the currencies of its main trading partners appears to have a substantial effect on the Euro area’s net exports in the long run, though the immediate effect is small – argue Alan Ahearne, Brigit Schmitz and Juergen von Hagen in the Studies and Analyses paper no. 345 entitled: Current Account Imbalances in the Euro Area. The authors find that the adjustment to a real appreciation of the euro would not be equally distributed across Euro area countries. In particular, Germany would bear the largest share of the adjustment, while the other Euro area economies would be relatively unaffected. | ||||||
 Aslund: Russia’s Situation is Untenable In his latest book, Russia's Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, Anders Aslund describes Russia’s successful transition to a market economy, and its failure to transform into a democracy. Aslund concludes that this situation is not likely to hold as Russia is too wealthy, educated, pluralist, and open to be so authoritarian. He argues that either the market economy or the authoritarian rule will have to give. His view of Putin is critical; he observes that Putin has created a system that leaves him little choice but to stay on as president. The book provides a broad overview of Russia's economic and political history from Gorbachev’s entry in 1985 until the present. The author uses a revolutionary paradigm to make sense of Russia’s recent past. Anders Aslund is the Chairman of the CASE Advisory council and a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC. For more on the book, see the Peterson Institute bookstore. | ||||||
 Key competences in education in the EU-27The kick-off meeting for one of CASE’s newest projects, Cross-curricular key competences and teacher education is taking place on Thursday and Friday at CASE. The project is being led by CASE, with the participation of a number of international experts from other European institutions. The team will measure the extent that "key competences for lifelong learning", as defined by the European Parliament in Lisbon in December 2006, are being implemented in primary and secondary schools across the EU-27 countries. For more on the project, see the project page here: EU-27: Key Competences and Teacher Education | ||||||
 “Need to Speed up EMU Enlargement”This is the conclusion of Marek Dabrowski’s latest e-paper, “EMU Enlargement: A Progress Report,” in which he assesses the unfinished European integration process. The paper provides an overview of candidates’ situations in respect to EMU accession, revisits the pros and cons of adopting a common currency and explores the political economy and politics of EMU enlargement. | ||||||
| Presentation of “EU-Ukraine” report at Polish Senate The authors of the CASE and CASE Ukraine Report “Prospects for EU-Ukraine Relations” presented its major findings at a joint-session of the Committee on EU Affairs and the Foreign Relations Committee of the Polish Senate.
Earlier this month the team presented at a mini-hearing of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade in Brussels as well as a session of the Baltic Intergroup of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The report has also been presented to academic audiences in Berlin (hosted by DIW Berlin - German Institute for Economic Research) and Kyiv (hosted by CASE Ukraine). | ||||||
 CASE Contributes to OECD Book: Evidence in EducationThroughout 2006, Jerzy Wisniewski has been organizing a series of meetings at CASE at which former education ministers of Poland discuss the communication gap between evidence-based research and current education policy in Poland, with the aim of designing a permanent mechanism that could help bridge this gap. One of the first outcomes of this series of meetings has been a contributing chapter on Poland in the new OECD book, Evidence in Education: Linking Research and Policy. The book focuses on the “challenge of effective brokering between education policy makers and researchers” in all OECD countries. Please see the OECD online bookshop for a short summary, table of contents and purchasing information. Click here to download the chapter on Poland. | ||||||
 "Economics, not Politics in Central Europe's Biggest Problem"writes Anders Aslund in an op-ed article for the Financial Times (Nov. 8th). Aslund is a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and Chairman of the CASE Advisory Council. Click below to read the article which compares the economic performance of Central European countries with the countries of Western Europe, the Baltics and the former Soviet Union. | ||||||
 Newly established CASE Belarus joins CASE networkWe are pleased to welcome our newest daughter organization, CASE Belarus, into the CASE network. Representatives of CASE, CASE Ukraine and IPM Research Center finalized the registration of the new center in June. The executive director is Sier¾ Naūrodski and Deputy Director is Alexander Chubrik. CASE Belarus research activities will focus on transition challenges facing the Belarusian economy. We look forward to future cooperation. Related news: Click here to read the latest e-brief: The Potential of Small and Medium Entreprises in Belarus by Sier¾ Naūrodski | ||||||
 New Book: Determinants of Pro-Poor Growth: Analytical Issues and Findings from Country CasesPro-poor growth is considered central for achieving sustainable poverty reduction and the MDGs. This book analyzes determinants of pro-poor growth in eight countries, employing advanced research methods. The chapter entitled, "Romania in Transition: Growth, Jobs and Poverty" was co-authored by CASE experts W.Paczynski, A.Radziwill, A.Sowa, I.Topinska and M.Walewski. | ||||||
 Should the US Federal Reserve continue to cut interest rates?Monetary policy in the US is being aggressively eased with the aim of avoiding recession and giving troubled financial institutions more breathing space to recover. Is this the right decision? Can the US economy continue to develop without a recession for almost two decades? In E-brief 2007/10, Marek Dabrowski argues that the ongoing rate cuts in the US are risky for both the US and the global economy. For more, see: The Global Repercussions of Changes in US Monetary Policy | ||||||
 Reforming the Ukrainian State and Improving the Business ClimateIn spite of the impressive economic growth recorded in the first decade of the 2000s, Ukraine is not a business-friendly country. In this two page brief, Dr. Marek Dabrowski explains why and suggests specific institutional and political reforms needed to modernize the country. Click here to view: E-brief 2007/8 | ||||||
 New approach to ODA policies“Europe has, in the last decades, experienced a number of success stories in moving out of poverty and onto sustainable economic growth. The secret of success has been the push towards economic integration and the adoption of economic reforms at the local, national, and regional levels conducive to economic growth. The recipient countries of development assistance have much to learn from the European experience” – argue Paolo Garonna, Deputy Executive Secretary and Abdur Chowdhury, Director of the Economic Analysis Division and Technical Cooperation Unit at UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe). In a paper entitled Effective Foreign Aid, Economic Integration and Subsidiarity: Lessons from Europe, Garonna and Chowdhury propose an alternative approach to development assistance policies – economic integration and subsidiarity, which provides the conditions necessary for ODA to produce higher rates of economic growth on a sustainable basis. The paper, now available in the CASE Studies and Analyses Series, was presented at the Winds of Change conference in March. Excerpts from Paolo Garonna and Abdur Chowdhury’s conference presentation are available for online viewing at www.video.case.com.pl [Open: clip 1, clip 2, clip 3] | ||||||
 Ma³gorzata Jakubiak named Vice President of CASE Management BoardOn 1 December, Ma³gorzata Jakubiak succeeded Artur Radziwi³³ as Vice President for Research Programs at CASE. Ma³gorzata is an expert on international trade, macroeconomics, monetary policy and innovation and has been with CASE since 1997. She has published various texts on trade flows, exchange rates, savings and investments, and European Neighbourhood Policy. For her full profile click here. Artur Radziwi³³ will continue work with CASE as a senior research fellow and experienced policy expert. The CASE Supervisory Council congratulates Malgorzata and wishes her success in her new position. The Council also thanks Artur for doing an excellent job during the last three and half years, as his work has greatly contributed to CASE’s international success. | ||||||
 Business Environment ConstraintsThe effect of business environment on a firm’s performance and analysts’ ability to identify this effect are more limited than has been assumed to date. Jan Svejnar, Director of the International Policy Center at the University of Michigan and Simon Commander, Senior Adviser at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Director of the Centre for New and Emerging Markets at London Business School analyzed a large stratified random sample of firms to identify measures of performance and perceptions of business environment constraints. Their analysis brings into question the conventional wisdom explaining the relationship between business constraints and performance. Click here to read the abstract and full report: Do Institutions, Ownership, Exporting and Competition Explain Firm Performance? | ||||||
 CASE contribution to ISMF project in SyriaIn December 2006, CASE was subcontracted by the Dutch management consultancy firm, ARCADIS BMB, to conduct a short-term consultancy for the Institutional and Sector Modernization Facility Project in Syria (see www.ismf-syr.org). Marek D±browski visited Damascus from December 16th to 18th, 2006, where he gave a presentation at the ISMF policy roundtable on “The Transition from a Centrally Planned to Market Economy: the Experience of Eastern Europe and FSU.” The presentation analyzed the similarities and differences between “Arab socialism” and Soviet-type socialism and their implications for a strategy of economic reforms. | ||||||
 Rostowski named Polish Minister of Finance Jacek Rostowski, one of the founders of CASE and a member of the CASE Supervisory Council, has been named Minister of Finance in the new Polish government. Rostowski is a well-known economist and the author of many academic publications on post-communist transition, European integration, macroeconomic policy and the role of institutions in economic development. He was formerly a professor of economics at the Central European University in Budapest. In the early 1990s, he advised the governments of Poland, Latvia and Russia on macroeconomic policy. Due to his government position, Rostowski has resigned from the CASE Supervisory Council. | ||||||
 2006 Annual Report Now Available OnlineThe first few pages of the 2006 Annual Report higlight CASE’s key acheivements in 2006, including: becoming a thought leader on EU relations with the Eastern Neighbourhood, developing into a trusted provider of expertise for the EC and national governments, becoming a key supporter of the Polish government in development assistance through their partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), expanding and diversifying the CASE research team and office staff, increasing revenues and endowment funds, and strengthening network activities. The report also describes the 2006 research program, provides a summary of financial data, and gives information on the numerous events held and publications produced throughout the year. Click here to read the 2006 Annual Report. | ||||||
 Ukraine at a CrossroadsSixteen years after obtaining independence and three years after the Orange Revolution, Ukraine has reached a crossroads. It has broken with the Soviet and totalitarian past but its democracy is still young and fragile, and therefore vulnerable to various political shocks. Basic civil and economic freedoms are not well protected due to numerous legal and institutional imperfections. Although Ukraine has succeeded in building the basic institutional foundations of a market economy, its capitalism is heavily distorted and its economic transition is far from complete. | ||||||
 ENEPO Conference on Justice and Home Affairs in European Neighbourhood PolicyOn Friday, 30 November, the first conference within the ENEPO project, co-organized by CASE and CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), will be held at the CEPS headquarters in Brussels. The conference will focus on issues of migration. For more information about the conference, click here: The Wider Area of Freedom, Security and Justice At the conference, one of the latest papers written within the ENEPO project, which appeared this month in the 'CASE Network Studies and Analyses' series, will be presented by its author, Nicole Wichmann. In the paper, entitled "The Intersection between Justice and Home Affairs and the European Neighborhood Policy," Wichmann discusses the underlying logic and objectives attributed to cooperation in Justice and Home Affairs (JHA), which can be derived from the viewpoints voiced during the formation of the ENP. She argues that despite the existence of different logics, there is a unifying objective, which is to ‘extra-territorialise’ the management of ‘threats’ to neighbouring countries. The core of the paper presents the various policy measures that have been put in place to achieve external ‘threat management.’ After illustrating this using two case studies (one on the fight against terrorism and one on irregular migration), Wichmann recommends that the EU draft an Action-Oriented Paper on JHA cooperation with the ENP countries that indicates how the EU intends to balance the conflicting objectives and instruments that are currently present in the JHA provisions of the ENP. | ||||||
 Poland's Economy after the Elections: Is Inflation a threat?"The Polish economy lost some of its momentum in the third quarter of 2007. Though inflationary pressures were modest in the third quarter, there are signs that demand factors will soon surface and add tensions to the flucutations in the CPI rate, " warn members of the CASE Macroeconomic forecasting team. The latest Polish Economic Outlook (3/2007) was released at a press conference at CASE on 13 November. In this edition of the quarterly, the authors devote a special section to the economic consequences of the early parliamentary elections. For the full report, click here: Polish Economic Outlook 3/2007. | ||||||
 Shadow Employment in PolandAt the end of December, a team of CASE social policy experts concluded a project which studied the phenomenon of unregistered workers in Poland. The team, led by Mateusz Walewski (pictured left), estimates that 9.3% of all jobs in Poland are held by unregistered workers, with the majority in rural areas. Lack of alternative job opportunities for unskilled workers was found to be the driving force behind shadow employment. At the same time, the studies indicate strong preferences and a positive attitude towards shadow employment among the general population. In order to reduce the size of shadow employment in the long term, the team recommends decreasing non-wage labour costs, increasing the severity and likelihood of punishment and strengthening the levels trust in public institutions and the rule of law. The project was funded by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and its detailed results will be presented at the Ministry’s conference in the spring. See the project page at: Poland’s shadow employment: its size, characteristics and social consequences. | ||||||
 Can the promise of EU membership be a regional public good?In the newest issue of CASE Studies and Analyses, experts Marek D±browski and Artur Radziwi³³ find that the prospects of EU accession and trade liberalization are correlated with the faster pace of economic and institutional reforms in Central Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic states. The study shows that the accession conditionalities established by the EU are more effective in motivating reforms than conditionalities put forth by other international organizations. | ||||||
 Jeffrey Sachs, Marek Dabrowski debate effectiveness of aidDr. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and a member of the CASE Advisory Council, presented his vision for effective development aid to those countries excluded from the globalization process at a debate hosted by CASE and Gazeta Wyborcza on October 1st. Marek Dabrowski, Chairman of the Supervisory Council, argued that aid must go hand in hand with sensible economic policies. Video excerpts of the event are now available at http://www.video.case.com.pl/ Dr. Sachs received a PhD honoris causa at the opening ceremony of the academic year at the Economic University in Krakow on October 2nd. Professor Sachs is one of the world's most well-known economists. He has worked on issues of poverty reduction, debt cancellation and sustainable development for more than 20 years. He helped develop "shock therapy" as a solution to the economic crises in Poland, Russia and Bolivia. In 2004-2005 Dr. Sachs was named one of the world's 100 most influential leaders by Time magazine. | ||||||
 Positive Growth in Euro Area in 2007Despite uncertainty about the evolution of the situation in financial markets, the authors of the EUROFRAME EFN Autumn report forecast economic expansion in the Euro Area to remain strong in the second half of 2007, bringing growth for the whole year to 2.7%. The authors predict growth to slow moderately in 2008 and 2009 to around 2.25 %, a level of growth which is close to the growth of potential output. The report is available here: Autumn 2007 Special Issue: European Social Models and Social Europe EFN is a 3 year project aimed at producing biannual macro-economic forecasts for the euro area, Europe, and other regions, together with an analysis of topical policy issues for the European Commission. The forecast and the analysis are prepared by a consortium of 10 independent European institutes: see www.euroframe.org/efn. | ||||||
 EU-Russia FTA Feasibility Study“Both Russia and the EU would benefit from a bilateral free trade agreement in the future, particularly if it is deep one,” according to CASE experts who worked on the recent study, Economic Feasibility and General Economic Impact of a Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Russian Federation. The experts recommend an FTA which, apart from removing import tariffs, would involve a substantial reduction of non-tariff barriers, approximation of the regulatory regime for many goods and service markets and improvements in customs procedures and regulations. The study was commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade. Members of the CASE team, coordinated by Maryla Maliszewska, presented the results of the study to EC in July. Click here for more information about the project. | ||||||
 Institutions and ConvergenceInstitutional variables are the most important factor explaining real convergence. But what are institutions? Leszek Balcerowicz, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Poland and a member of the CASE Supervisory Council examines the relationship between institutions and policies, institutions and organisations, and formal and informal institutions in "Studies and Analyses" no. 342. He presented his paper entitled `Institutions and convergence´ during session 2 `Global Imbalances: Sources, Sustainability, and Policy Responses´ of the Winds of Change conference in March. Click here to view this and other post-conference papers. | ||||||
 An Aging Europe: Where are productivity costs most acute? “Due to serious differences in labor market structures between the New Member States (NMS) (including current candidates) and the EU15, the former will be the first to experience higher-than-average productivity costs of ageing in the near future.” This hypothesis is examined by Mateusz Walewski in the latest paper in the CASE Network Studies and Analyses series, “Analysis of cross-country differences in the shape of the age-wage relationship with an attempt to tackle age-productivity differences within the EU.” Walewski notes that the relationship between age and productivity is becoming increasingly important as the European population ages and the retirement age increases. Thus as the average age of workers goes up, the average level of productivity growth will go down, resulting in the decreasing competitiveness of European economies. How does the relative productivity of older workers in the NMS compare to productivity in the EU15? Click here to see all the latest CASE publications. | ||||||
 Recent seminar with Dr. Richard Pomfret"The agricultural sector in Kazakhstan experienced declining output throughout the 1990s, partly because relative prices shifted from being distorted in favour of farmers to being distorted against them. Only after the end of the decade did public policy shift towards support for agriculture. This support was boosted by a billion-dollar Agriculture and Food Program for 2003-5 which was made possible by booming oil revenues,” says Dr. Richard Pomfret, a Professor of Economics at the University of Adelaide, Australia and a Visiting Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Bologna Center in Italy in his recent paper: ‘Using Energy Resources to Diversify the Economy: Agricultural Price Distortions in Kazakhstan’. Dr. Pomfret presented the paper at the CASE Policy Research Seminar on 4 December. He estimated producer support equivalents for the main agricultural products in Kazakhstan since 1990, and analyzed the consequences of shifts in farm support policy. Picture: Richard Pomfret (by Robin Mills, News from the University of Adelaide) | ||||||
 Moldova: Reform, European Integration and Transnistrian conflict resolutionOn July 3rd CASE was proud to present a seminar led by Dr. Kalman Mizsei, the EU Special Representative to the Republic of Moldova. Dr. Mizsei spoke of several issues ranging from the integration of Moldova into the EU, a necessary deepening of the democratic process there, and on the hot topic of the unresolved conflict with the secessionist sect in Transnistria. The diplomatic view on the situation from the perspective of the European Union was a great honor for CASE to host. | ||||||
 What can Poland learn from Portugal?A memo from The Portuguese experience from 1995 to 1999 shows clearly that Polish fiscal policy should be changed and that postponement of public finance reform is irresponsible. Discussants and guests of the 94th BRE-CASE seminar talked about pending public finance reform on 7 February. Poland, like Portugal in the 1990s, is in a strong economic growth period. Maciej Krzak, head of the CASE macroeconomic team, has argued that the similarities between the economic booms in both countries are striking: strong expansion of domestic credit (especially housing credits), strong wage increases, a growing current account deficit and a growing budget deficit. | ||||||
 CASE support for Institutional Strengthening in EgyptAs of December, CASE has been participating in a project in Egypt, entitled, "Support for the Institutional Strengthening of the Cabinet Information and Decision Support Centre," under the EU-funded Lot 10 Framework. The purpose of the project is to provide technical assistance to the Center in developing its policy research, analytical and policy advice potential, with the aim of strengthening the government's capacity to design economic policies and economic reforms. | ||||||
 Management Board's addressIn 2008 CASE entered its eighteenth year of activity. As a respected international economics think tank CASE is going to consolidate its position within the European research market and explore new frontiers in development assistance activities. Meeting the first goal requires developing and strengthening our research network by engaging with more high-quality researchers from within and outside Europe to work with CASE both on a full and part-time basis. To make our research output available to a broader professional public as well as have a growing impact on the European policy debate we must upgrade our ways and means of external communications, series publications, seminars and conferences as well as other forms of public outreach. | ||||||
 UNDESA conference on "Strengthening integration of the economies in transition into the world economy through economic diversification"During the UNDESA/UNECE Conference on "Strengthening integration of the economies in transition into the world economy through economic diversification" in Geneva, April 2-4, 2008 Marek D±browski made a presentation on "Addressing the policy challenge in economies which are not rich in natural resources: the case of low- income CIS economies". | ||||||
 Rising Food PricesOn July 7th at 16.00 CASE hosted a seminar on the topic of the Global Food Crisis. The guest lecturer was Dr. Luca Barbone, the director of Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM) for the Europe and Central Asia Region of the World Bank. | ||||||
 9th International Academic Conference in MoscowMr Marek D±browski, Chairman of CASE Supervisory Council, participated in the 9th International Academic Conference on "Economic Modernization and Globalization" in Moscow on April 1-3, 2008 organized by the Higher School of Economics. He made presentation on "Key macroeconomic issues related to the energy sector in the CIS" (Session A-05) and chaired one of the sessions. The presentation is a result of the CIS Energy project conducted by CASE for the DG ECFIN. | ||||||
 Results of the World Governance Assessment for the Kyrgyz Republic have been publishedWorld Governance Assessment (WGA) is a newly developed tool of measuring governance quality based on a survey of national experts in every country participating in the WGA using a common methodology. This allows basing the assessment on domestic stakeholders’ opinions on governance and, at the same time, to make assessment results comparable across participating countries. The WGA was first conducted in 2001. It was implemented by an international group of research organizations coordinated by the UN University (Tokyo). The first round of assessment covered 23 countries from different parts of the world including Kyrgyzstan. The second round of the assessment was conducted in 2006 using slightly different methodology in the following ten countries and territories: Argentine, Bulgaria, Indonesia, | ||||||
 Holiday Greetings  | ||||||
 IMF Reform Debate in Central AsiaTo date, the debate about International Monetary Fund (IMF) Reform has been shaped largely by conversations within and among OECD countries. The project "New Rules for Global Finance Coalition" proposes to remedy this imbalance by encouraging a series of regional conferences that would enable developing countries to articulate their needs and priorities for future services from the IMF. One of such meetings will be jointly organized by CASE-Kyrgyzstan and Centre for International Governance and Innovation and will take place on 20-21 May in Bishkek. It will bring together senior officials and scholars from a number of countries of the region, along with a few other invitees, to analyze and discuss Central Asian perspectives on global monetary cooperation. | ||||||
 The Emerging Aversion to InequalityOn June 4th CASE proudly hosted a Research Policy Seminar, lead by Dr. Irena Grosfeld, PhD (Research Director at the Paris School of Economics and the National Centre for Scientific Research-CNRS). Dr. Grosfeld’s topic, The Emerging Aversion to Inequality- Evidence from Poland 1992-2005, evoked a great number of questions from those present for the seminar; the lively discussion is a testament to the excellent work Dr. Grosfeld, and her partner Dr. Claudia Senik, have done, and continue to do in their area of research. | ||||||
 Global Financial Instability: Sources and Systemic SolutionsWhat are the main sources of 2007/08 crisis of asset securitization? How to mitigate risks in stressful circumstances? Is Fed responding too slowly? Have the banks begun to trust each other again? These are the questions raised during the last CASE Policy Research seminar on 9th April. The lecture was held by Lucjan T. Or³owski, Professor and Chairman at the Department of Economics and Finance, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA and a member of CASE Advisory Council. For more information on the seminar click here. | ||||||
 Positive surprises for Polish economy?On 27 May the new issue of the Polish Economic Outlook was presented at the CASE headquarter. The first quarter was marked by a number of surprises, mostly positive, suggesting that the strength of the economy and its resilience to withstand the global slowdown is better than we expected. One of the reasons is that Polish banks are little exposed to US credit markets. | ||||||
 CASE Launches New "E-briefs" Publication SeriesThe series provides a way for CASE scholars publicize to the results of their latest research and provide insight into current policy debates in a format that is accessible to an educated, non-specialist readership. E-briefs are directed towards policy-makers, journalists, business leaders and the general public. In the latest in this series, Dr. Przemys³aw Wozniak considers the effects of the 2004 European Union enlargement on price levels in the EU and highlights the most important policy implications. Click here to view: When Can We Expect Price Convergence in the Enlarged EU? | ||||||
 Conference Highlight: How Can the EU Emulate the Positive Features of the East Asian Model?“Three advantages of the East Asian model stand out: small social transfers, low taxation and free labor markets. The superiority of such policies is now widely accepted, and the question is how they can be emulated by Europe.” This was the question posed by Anders Åslund of the Peterson Institute of International Economics during the Winds of Change conference. See the latest publication in the 'CASE Studies and Analyses' series to read his recommendations for how Europe can follow the East Asian model of sustainable high economic growth. | ||||||
 Polish Economic Outlook 1/2007: Special Topic – Poland, the Euro and the Maastricht criteriaThe latest edition of PEO rates 2006 as a year in which economic growth exceeded expectations, reaching the highest yearly rate since 1997. The outlook for the Polish economy looks positive in both the short and medium terms. Forecasts show GDP growth will remain high (above 6%) in 2007, largely due to strong domestic demand, though it is expected to slow by 2008. | ||||||
 Ukraine Report Presented to European ParliamentThe CASE report “Prospects for EU-Ukraine relations” has garnered much interest among EU parliamentarians and officials involved in policy decisions on Europe’s ‘Eastern neighborhood.’ The presentation comes at a very appropriate time, as Ukraine and the EC are just beginning discussions on the trade agreement. Malgorzata Jakubiak, one of the authors of the report, recently presented its main findings at a mini-hearing of the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament in Brussels. The report was previously presented in Strasbourg at a session of the Baltic Intergroup of the European Parliament by Jakubiak and Vitaliy Vavryshuck of CASE Ukraine. | ||||||
 The New EU Frontier: Perspectives on Enhanced Economic IntegrationThis newest CASE Report aims to identify the best forms of enhanced economic integration between the EU and Ukraine, Russia, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria, from the EU perspective. The authors review existing forms of integration and evaluate the various institutional options for further integration over the next five to ten years. The effects of increased integration are evaluated in terms of trade in goods and services and migration. The authors conclude by recommending areas to prioritize in future cooperation agreements and pointing out where business opportunities will open up for EU partners. | ||||||
 New CASE report on Trade Integration in South East EuropeThe development of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s foreign trade is being hindered by domestic problems related to the economic and institutional framework, investment climate and conditions for entrepreneurship. Regional trade integration offers several benefits, but it takes time for its effects to translate into an improved foreign trade record. These are the conclusions of the new CASE report: | ||||||
 Conference Highlight: The Economic Development of Africa“In the 1960s, the studies of development scholars like Gunnar Myrdal were predicting that Asia, not Africa, would be the problem. Africa had a lot of resources…The problem was going to be Asia with huge populations, very dense economies and very few development prospects. How was that prediction so wrong?” asked Alan Gelb, the World Bank's Director of Development Policy during the CASE and CASE Ukraine Winds of Change conference in March. Gelb outlined the key economic challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa and outlined a scenario for improving the competitiveness of the region, while also touching on some of the political economy issues of the region's continuing evolution. Excerpts from Alan Gelb’s speech will be soon available for online viewing on the Winds of Change webpage. To see pictures from this and other sessions, please see the Conference Photo Gallery. | ||||||
 Winds of Change Conference is a SuccessCASE and CASE Ukraine successfully co-hosted the International WINDS of CHANGE Conference on March 23rd and 24th in Kyiv, Ukraine. Two hundred outstanding researchers, policymakers and representatives of international organizations and financial institutions representing over 30 countries attended the conference in the Ukrainian capital. Throughout the two-day event, panelists and participants maintained a lively and stimulating discussion on the causes and consequences of the Eastward shift in economic power and considered the potential policy options available. | ||||||
| CASE participates in International workshop on the Knowledge Economy Prof. Anna Wziatek-Kubiak will present her report "The situation of a transforming country - the example of Poland" at a conference at the University of Dortmund on March 15 - 16. The conference is entitled "Low-Technology: Innovativeness, Development and Perspectives in the Knowledge Economy". | ||||||
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