William Bartlett

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• PhD (Liverpool), MSc (London), BA (Cambridge)
• Research Associate at London School of Economics and Political Science

This paper argues that the conflicts that afflicted the Western Balkan region in the 1990s pushed the countries into the European 'super-periphery', characterized by deindustrialization and high unemployment, ethnic and regional fragmentation, political turmoil, and instability. Integration into international trade has been disrupted, lea...

This paper reviews current knowledge about the impact of vocational education and training on the labor market outcomes for young people in advanced market economies, and asks whether the results can be extrapolated to countries in the Western Balkans and the EU neighborhood. It draws four main policy conclusions. First, in transition countries, sp...

The article covers the evolution of external and public debt in six Western Balkan countries in the context of their regional position as a super-periphery of the EU. Stemming from the core-periphery relationship, we find that the region’s external and public debt position has increased to alarming levels since the onset of the economic and financi...

This article investigates the effects of the political connectedness on the business performance of private sector firms in South East Europe. This question is relevant to contemporary ideas about the importance of ‘state capture’ in the region, and the article provides a new perspective on the nature and consequences of this phenomenon. Analysis o...

Recent reforms in the organization of the National Health Service (NHS) have introduced market‐type relationships between purchasers and providers, based largely on long‐term contracts, in an attempt to improve the cost‐effectiveness of health service delivery. The proponents of the new arrangements argue that efficiency will be stimulated via the...

ECONOMIC ANNALS September 2023, no. 238 contents pageIssue 238 – September 1. "US politics and exchange rate volatility: Do domestic politics matter?" Costantinos Alexiou et al. 2. "Financial Inclusion, macroprudential policy and crisis", Mallika Saha 3. "GDP growth triggers: evidence from selected European countries", Milutin Ješić 4. "Ricard...

Contents page of Economic Annals no. 237, 2023

Contents page of issue no. 236 of Economic Annals March 2023

The European Union (EU) member states have multiple perceptions of the countries of the Western Balkans. An insight into these perceptions can be gained through an analysis of the revealed interests exhibited by the allocation of EU member state bilateral aid to the countries of the region. In this chapter, the interests are classified under three...

Among the main stumbling blocks of European Union-Western Balkan integration are the differences in perceptions on both sides. Today, the gap between what the Western Balkan politicians and citizens think about the European Union and what the politicians and citizens in the EU member states think about the Western Balkans is probably wider than eve...

This is the contents page for Economic Annals issue 135 December 2022

The original version of this chapter author’s affiliation was revised to “M. Uvalić (*)

The countries in the Western Balkans have been severely affected by the wars and conflicts that led to the breakup of former Yugoslavia, by political instability and the effort of creating new states, weak economies and high levels of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, and inequality. As revealed by recent surveys, such as EBRD’s Life in T...

This introductory chapter sets out the key contemporary issues related to labour markets and skills, vocational training, female entrepreneurship, and the economic and social integration of migrants in the Western Balkans. It identifies the linkages and interrelations between these four broad themes, situating them within a review of the current li...

A more inclusive socio-economic model is important in the Western Balkans due to the unequal opportunities that are a persistent feature of their labour markets. The weak labour market performance can be linked to the region’s difficult past, its delayed but dependent integration with the European Union, and its neoliberal transition strategy. Both...

This introductory essay situates the papers in this Thematic Section within the background of social policy development in the Western Balkans during the long period of transition following the break-up of former Yugoslavia. We identify three stages of transformation of social protection policies. The first, in the 1990s, was characterised by a con...

This paper examines whether the relationship between individuals’ socio-economic characteristics and subjective well-being differs across European countries with varying institutional contexts. Drawing on institutional theory and using the recent 2019 Eurobarometer survey, the multilevel econometric analysis of individuals in 28 European countries...

Contents page Economic Annals 233 June 2022

Economic Annals is an international professional journal published quarterly by the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. It publishes research in all areas of economics and business administration, particularly for transition and emerging economies. The journal encourages the submission of original unpublished works, not under consideratio...

This article investigates how regional supply chains support the Western Balkans' economic growth. It first identifies the role of the cefta free trade agreement in expanding the size of the local market and opening up regional trading opportunities. It recounts how the larger market and specific industrial policies have attracted foreign direct in...

Economic Annals is an international professional journal published quarterly by the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. It publishes research in all areas of economics and business administration, particularly for transition and emerging economies. The journal encourages the submission of original unpublished works, not under consideratio...

This paper analyses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour markets of the Western Balkans. In 2020, the pandemic brought the recent growth of the region’s economies to an abrupt if temporary halt, and the paper analyses the impact on activity rates and unemployment rates. The analysis reveals that youth and women, and particularly young...

This Study analyses the situation in each of the six Western Balkan economies’ labour markets in 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It considers the factors that affect the region’s labour markets, the measures undertaken by governments to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these have affected labour market outcomes....

Regional inequalities in Serbia, among the highest in Europe, have widened over the past two decades. Regional development policies based on subsidies have had little effect in reducing regional disparities as the subsidies have not been effectively targeted on firms in the least developed regions, while local self-governments have not been recogni...

Economic Annals is an international professional journal published quarterly by the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. It publishes research in all areas of economics and business administration, particularly for transition and emerging economies. The journal encourages the submission of original unpublished works, not under consideratio...

Registration for the workshop: https://lse.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlfuysrDkiH9SfbWO0iZrVXE6S6FK1K-ry

Economic Annals is an international professional journal published quarterly by the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. It publishes research in all areas of economics and business administration, particularly for transition and emerging economies. The journal encourages the submission of original unpublished works, not under consideratio...

The study presents a comparative analysis of youth labour markets in the Western Balkans. It analyses the key indicators identifying large gender gaps and education gaps in youth employment rates and provides a focus on young people who are neither in employment, education or training (NEET). It identifies the main challenges facing youth labour ma...

The competition is open to researchers holding, or studying towards, a PhD (doctorate) degree who are currently affiliated to an accredited higher education institution, or an equivalent public or private research institution or organisation. Co-authored papers are eligible but, to be considered for the award, the lead author should meet all eligib...

Despite the enormous inflow of international assistance to the Western Balkans over the last 25 years, the intended state-building efforts have only had partial success and great concerns have been raised over the problems of state capture, weak governance, poor rule of law and widespread corruption at a high level throughout the region. The paper...

Young people in six Western Balkan economies (WB6) have an unfavourable position on the region’s labour markets. In 2020, the youth employment rate for the 15-24 age group was below 27% in all WB economies, while the youth unemployment rate for the 15-24 age group was above 26% (compared to just 16.8% in the EU-27, for the 15-24 age group) reaching...

Economic Annals is an academic journal that has been published on a quarterly basis since 1955, initially under its Serbian name of Ekonomski anali (EconLit). Since 2006 it has been published exclusively in English. It is published by the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, Serbia. The journal publishes research in all areas of economics....

This chapter identifies the high degree of social exclusion facing young graduates as they make the transition from university into the world of work in Serbia. It shows that while there has been a large increase in the number of young people passing through the higher education system there are widespread problems of skill mismatch and skill gaps....

This chapter argues that in some of the successor states of former Yugoslavia an economic system of political capitalism has replaced the former economic system of socialist self-management. The chapter focuses on the examples of Croatia and Serbia using a case-study approach. In the former country, the commanding heights of the economy were captur...

This issue of Economic Annals presents a second collection of articles from a workshop on “The Comparative Economics of Transition in South East Europe” that took place at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Economics in September 2019. The Workshop was organised by Economic Annals in collaboration with the European Association for Comparative...

This is an introduction to a special issue of the journal Economic Annals, no 225 with selected articles from a workshop on "The Comparative Economics of Transition in South East Europe" that took place in September 2019. The contents of the special issue are as follows: 1. Saul Estrin: “Towards a framework to understand the relative performance o...

COMPARATIVE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE SPECIAL ISSUE OF ECONOMIC ANNALS No. 225 (2020 PART I) This issue of Economic Annals presents a selection of articles from a workshop on The Comparative Economics of Transition in South East Europe that took place at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Economics in September 2019. The wo...

This edited volume focuses on the challenges facing the Western Balkan countries in their efforts to deal with social exclusion and social inequality while making progress in their reform efforts to join the European Union. It examines how states have failed to offer adequate social protection to those excluded from labour market including women, y...

This chapter reviews the literature on social exclusion in the Western Balkans and summarises the contribution of the various chapters of the book to the debate on social exclusion and labour market challenges in the region. It is organised around four key themes: labour markets and international migration, gender gaps and female labour force parti...

Introduction to thematic issue of Economic Annals on inequality in South East Europe

The article covers the evolution of external and public debt in six Western Balkan countries in the context of their regional position as a super-periphery of the EU. Stemming from the core-periphery relationship, we find that the region’s external and public debt position has increased to alarming levels since the onset of the economic and financi...

Economic Annals is an international professional journal published quarterly by the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade. It publishes research in all areas of economics and business administration, particularly for transition economies. Its rank according to Elsevier’s Scopus® database by SCImago Journal & Country Rank is Q3. The journal e...

First lines: The global COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by governments around the world constitute a major rupture to the “business as usual”, and this includes the Western Balkans, too. The pandemic has been overshadowing other developments while also accelerating existing trends, and itwill continue to do so. This analysis establishes th...

Serbia is a transition country that has experienced strong negative spillover effects from the global financial crisis and the subsequent eurozone debt crisis. At the same time it is a candidate for accession to the European Union. Success in local economic development is likely to affect prospects for economic recovery and a successful EU integrat...

This paper investigates the role of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the Western Balkans in supporting industrial policy for economic development. It shows that Serbia and North Macedonia have both implemented policies to establish networks of SEZs that have attracted a relatively large amount of new foreign direct investment, mainly into the motor...

This paper investigates the relationship between income inequality and different welfare state trajectories that three countries of the former Yugoslavia “south of the Alps” have taken over the three decades since the breakup of the country in 1990. It is remarkable that three countries emerging from a common (socialist) system have experienced dia...

This paper investigates the barriers to the development of regional supply chains to support the growth of regional trade in the CEFTA region. The paper first identifies the way in which regional FTAs such as CEFTA may bring about structural change and tendencies to either convergence or divergence among partner economies. Tendencies to agglomerati...

This country report analyses higher education (HE) provision and labour market opportunities in Montenegro by looking into four inter-related issues: the nature and extent of provision of HE, current labour market conditions for graduates, the challenges graduates face during the transition from HE to employment, and the type of skill gaps and skil...

The conference takes place in Belgrade on 21-22 November 2019. It is the 5th conference of the LSEE Research Network on Social Cohesion in South East Europe, supported by the EBRD. It aims to brings together scholars and practitioners working on the broad theme of economic and social inclusion in South East Europe to present their latest research f...

Drawing on research carried out in Serbia, Montenegro and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this chapter traces the UAE’s involvement in the Western Balkans over the 2010s, analysing the motives for engagement and elaborating on the political culture underpinning it. The analysis demonstrates that the strong linkages that have developed between the U...

This workshop is provides a forum for the latest research on all aspects of economic transition in South East Europe and beyond. Papers are welcome from a wide variety of traditions of economic analysis. Empirical papers focusing on comparative analysis of economics of the region are encouraged, while individual country studies and studies related...

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 relati...

This introductory chapter provides a general overview of the political economy of decentralisation in the Yugoslav successor states and Albania, and sets out the structure of the book. It provides a methodological umbrella for the analytical approaches applied in the country case studies, emphasising the political economy drivers of decentralisatio...

This edited collection provides a comprehensive geographic and chronological overview of the decentralisation processes in the successor states of former Yugoslavia and Albania during their transition and EU integration years, from 1990 until 2016. These countries present a unique laboratory for the analysis of economic, social and political change...

In recent years, the Western Balkan countries have been badly affected by the spillover effects of recession in the Eurozone, and the economic recovery that is underway has been subject to a series of setbacks. Weak economic performance has been reflected in low employment rates, high levels of unemployment, and the attendant risk of a depreciation...

The workshop is designed to gain a greater understanding of the nature and drivers of inequality in the countries of South East Europe, and to analyse the causes of different trajectories of transition and evolutions of welfare states in the region and learn lessons from the most successful examples of transition models that have achieved a combina...

Albania received candidate status for EU membership in 2014, and its political agenda is focused on European integration. This chapter analyses some important aspects of economic and social development in Albania on its road towards the EU. In particular, it focuses on economic growth, governance and the quality of institutions, foreign trade, comp...

One of the key lessons of the chapters included in this book is that the key to reducing the high levels of public and private debt that have built up in Western Balkan economies in recent years is to promote export-led economic growth. The recently announced plan for a regional economic area (MAP) aims to liberalise regional trade in services, bac...

This chapter looks at the effectiveness of higher education systems in the Western Balkans in delivering a skilled labour force to the economy. In particular, it analyses the problems facing university graduates in accessing the labour market and the skill gaps among new graduate employees based on data collected through cross-country surveys of re...

The Western Balkan economies have emerged from a serious economic recession and are in search of a new growth path on their way to eventual EU membership. However they are beset by numerous economic and social problems that hinder their progress. This chapter outlines the main issues that need to be addressed and that are taken up in the subsequent...

Economic reforms have been relaunched under the SNS-led government that came to power in 2014. The priorities have been fiscal consolidation, financial sector resilience and structural reforms designed to boost productivity, employment and growth. The diagnosis of Serbia’s economic ills has been that poor investment and growth performance has been...

Economic reforms have been relaunched under the SNS-led government that came to power in 2014. The priorities have been fiscal consolidation, financial sector resilience, and structural reforms designed to boost productivity, employment and growth. The diagnosis of Serbia's economic ills has been that poor investment and growth performance has been...

Book description and publisher information

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 relati...

The aim of this chapter is to analyse, from a political economy perspective, Croatia's economic position as a new member state of the European Union in the context of the Eurozone crisis. Since 2009, Croatia has experienced an extraordinary six-year recession that has persisted since the country joined the EU in 2013. The recession has led to rocke...

The general theme of the workshop is “Enhancing research on trade in the CEFTA region”. Academics wishing to present their papers at the workshop are invited to submit Extended Abstracts detailing the topic of their research, their data, methodology, preliminary research findings (if applicable) and policy relevance. Abstracts should be submitted b...

The overall aim of this report is to take stock of the measures and resources needed to implement the key objectives set out in the MAP and recommend future actions, both at economy and regional level4. The report identifies the major policy gaps and needs, including assistance through bilateral or regional projects, and proposes a set of measures...

The concluding chapter analyses the reasons for differences and similarities behind various decentralisation approaches in the eight countries covered in the book. Key drivers of the decentralisation agenda were the international donor community and development agencies, along with the EU. The chapter compares the four groups of countries by analys...

The aim of the project is to assess the impact of the SEZs on development and competitiveness, and to identify their tax attractiveness. A better understanding is sought concerning recent developments concerning SEZs in these countries in order to inform the policy dialogue. The policy impact of the project will be to help countries in the Western...

This paper seeks to analyse the effects of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the Western Balkans. The paper discusses various incentives such as investment incentives and state aid and their effect on the economic performance of SEZs in WB. Study provides conclusions and policy recommendations.

European countries are economically dependent upon each other. This paper therefore embeds the analysis of the Western Balkan countries within a wider perspective of the European economy as a whole. It combines a simple core-periphery model with an under-consumption model to provide an explanation of the emergence of secular stagnation, the depende...

Since the onset of the current economic crisis, Croatia has experienced six years of recession associated with low international competitiveness and a weak culture of entrepreneurship. This chapter discusses the failure of government policies to promote an entrepreneurial economy. While governments of all hues have tried to promote the spirit of en...

In recent years, the United Arab Emirates has increased its engagement on the international stage. One area where it has been increasingly active is the Western Balkans. While its aid programmes were initially directed towards Albania, it has also started to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. This paper focuses mainly...

This country report analyses higher education (HE) provision and labour market opportunities in Montenegro by looking into four inter-related issues: the nature and extent of provision of HE, current labour market conditions for graduates, the challenges graduates face during the transition from HE to employment, and the type of skill gaps and skil...

For the last decade, the Western Balkan countries have sought to modernise their vocational education and training (VET) systems, adapting them to the needs of their emerging market economies. Within the framework of the EU accession process, the policy agenda for VET policies has been strongly influenced by a range of international and domestic po...

The paper investigates changes in institutional quality in countries at different stages of European integration over the seven-year period from 2004-11. It analyses two countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) region, two from the Western Balkans and two EU Member States from South East Europe. The analysis reveals differences between...

This country report analyses higher education (HE) provision and labour market opportunities in Bosnia and Herzegovina by looking into four inter-related issues: the provision of HE, current labour market conditions for graduates, the challenges graduates face during the transition from HE to employment, and the type of skill gaps and skill mismatc...

Croatian Economic Survey is an English-language, peer-reviewed scholarly journal published annually by The Institute of Economics, Zagreb in Croatia. The journal aims to serve as a forum for academics and practitioners by publishing high-quality research papers on topics in all areas of economics. Special focus is given to post-socialist Europe. Co...

This study was commissioned by the European Parliament's Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee. It evaluates the implementation, impact and outcomes of National Roma Integration Strategies in a selection of Member States (Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain)...