The quality of institutions and its impact on economic growth has become more important in recent years, especially in transition countries that must reform their institutions to create a market economy and meet the preconditions for joining the EU. This is the case with the countries of Southeastern Europe, some of which are already EU members, while others are in the process of joining the EU. This paper examines the effects of institutional quality on the economic growth of South- East Europe and compares these effects in EU and non-EU countries for the period 1996-2017, using Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) to measure the quality of institutions and the GDP growth rate. The panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach is used to analyse the relationship between institutional quality and economic growth. The results show that in EU countries there is a long-run relationship between institutional quality and economic growth for all significant variables, while in the non-EU countries only government effectiveness, political stability and absence of violence, regulatory quality, and voice and accountability are statistically significant. Furthermore, in EU countries there is no short-run relationship between institutional quality and economic growth, while in the non-EU countries of SEE, regulatory quality and voice and accountability are significant.

The financial leasing market in previous years is characterised by a growth that is also expected in the coming period. Besides, developing countries are striving to attract as much foreign direct investment (FDI) as possible to accelerate economic growth and achieve macroeconomic stability. The aim of this paper is to determine whether there is a relationship between FDI and the level of market concentration in the financial leasing sector of the Republic of Serbia and to determine whether this relationship is long-term or short-term. Quarterly data from the first quarter of 2006 to the first quarter of 2019 were used. Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach (ARDL) and bounds test were used for data analysis. The results showed that there is a negative relationship between FDI and the level of market concentration in the financial leasing sector of the Republic of Serbia in the long run, while there is no statistically significant relationship between FDI and the level of market concentration in the short run.

Research background: Economic relations between countries members of the EU and EU candidates are very strong. Germany and France have the leading economies of the EU, are in the top ten economies worldwide, and drivers of EU development. Serbia has strong economic relations with Germany and France, especially with Germany. Therefore, it is necessary to examine whether Germany and France impact the development of Serbia. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to determine if there is a positive influence of a developed country on a developing country. The aim of the paper is to determine whether there is a long- and short-term positive relationship between Germany and France (EU members) and the Serbian economy (EU candidate). Research methodology: A Vector Error Correction Model is used to analyze quarterly data from 2002Q2 to 2018Q2. Results: The results showed a statistically significant long-term relationship between Germany and France and Serbia’s real GDPs, so EU members have a long-term positive impact on the economy of EU candidates. In the case of the French, there is a short-run positive impact on the Serbian economy. For Germany, it is not the case. Novelty: This paper fills the literature gap about the influence of a developed country on a developing country. Recommendations for policymakers in EU candidates could be that if they want to motivate people to accept the process of access to the EU, they must provide them with more information about long-run economic benefits from the association to the EU.

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Korupcija predstavlja jedan od glavnih problema savremenih društava, dok je povećanje nacionalne konkurenntosti cilj kome teže sve ekonomije. Cilj ovog rada je da se istraži postojanje dugoročne i kratkoročne veze između nacionalne konkurentnosti i percepcije korupcije u zemljama Evropske unije. U radu je primenjen ekonometrijski model u kome se analizira šest zemalja u periodu od 2007. do 2016. godine. Levin, Lin & Chu test je primenjen za analizu stacionarnosti vremenskih serija, dok je Johansen test kointegracije korišćen za utvrđivanje postojanja dugoročne povezanosti varijabli. Rezultati modela sa korekijom greške (VECM) su pokazali da postoji dugoročna povezanost između varijabli CPI i GCI, dok je Wald test ukazao na postojanje kratkorčne povezanosti između navedenih varijabli. Ključne reči: nacionalna konkurentnost, indeks percepcije korupcije (CPI), indeks globalne konkurentnosti (GCI), Evropska unija, panel analiza, VEC model. UVOD Od nastanka klasične ekonomske misli do današnjih, savremenih shvatanja koncepti konkurentnosti i korupcije su predmet proučavanja ekonomske teorije i prakse. Uprkos brojnim teorijama konkurentnosti