Assessing regional integration and business potential in the Western Balkans

Sklias, Pantelis; Tsampra, Maria

doi:10.1504/ijebr.2013.054840

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Firms are obliged to pay bribes to officials or employ intermediaries to get around complicated bureaucratic procedures, which increases the cost of doing business. Profit margins are reduced, and investment is restricted by these costs (Sklias, 2011; Xhindi and Gjika, 2022).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative analysis on the nexus between corruption and firm performance for a selection of Western Balkan countries

Kalaj

Golemi

2023

JFC

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Purpose This paper aims to focus on analyzing the level of corruption of small- and medium-sized enterprises and their economic performance impact in Western Balkan countries. This study uses survey data from Enterprise Surveys (ES) from 2019, a shared project of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank Group. The selected countries are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. The questions included in the data set contribute to understanding what firms experience in the private sector. Collected data are based on firms’ experiences and enterprises’ perceptions of the environment in which they operate. Design/methodology/approach This paper measures enterprise performance in terms of sales, employees and fixed assets growth. The vector of independent variables comprises enterprise characteristics such as enterprise age, size, ownership structure, legal status, access to formal banking services, gender ownership and other composed variables. Moreover, to capture the level of perceived corruption by firms, we will focus on the following ES questions: “Is it common to have to pay some irregular additional payment or gifts to get things done with regard to customs, taxes, licenses, regulations, services,” and the “corruption payment” is defined in the form of a dummy equal to one if the enterprise replies “frequently,” “usually” or “always.” Findings Preliminary empirical research results shed light on the level and effects of corruption on enterprises’ performance. However, the magnitude and statistical significance are different among the countries included in the sample. Originality/value Instead of firm-level characteristics, research on corruption frequently focuses on effects dependent on national and institutional characteristics. To better identify the kinds of businesses that are most at risk of corruption, we have selected to focus on differences among firm characteristics in this research. Understanding factors at the firm level is preferred from a policy perspective because these findings assist policymakers to make recommendations.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative analysis on the nexus between corruption and firm performance for a selection of Western Balkan countries

Kalaj

Golemi

2023

JFC

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“…Additionally, according to Jusufi and Bellaqa (2019, p. 75), intra-regional trade between WB states has been in decline over the last several years, as non-tariff barriers, induced by political problems, strongly and negatively impacted trade in the region. On top of that, regional businesses are also underdeveloped, due to the present trade distortions largely caused by administrative rigidities, despite recent institutional development and economic growth in the WB (Sklias & Tsampra, 2013).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does it make sense to deepen the economic cooperation of the western balkan economies?

Nikolic¹

2020

Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja

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The article discusses the structural changes in bilateral trade flows between Western Balkan (WB) countries in 2007-2018. The basic idea was to address whether there is a justification for the often proposed deepening of economic cooperation among WB states. After analysing the dynamics of mutual trade, we computed the value of intra-industry trade, whose potential decrease could indicate a divergence between observed trade structures. To detect a possible structural change in WB trade sectors, qualitative changes in those countries' exports were calculated through the tendencies of a share of products at higher levels of processing. After calculating the export concentration coefficients, all the results were compared with those achieved by these countries in trade with the EU and in total. The article argues that there is no solid reason to pursue policies for strengthening mutual economic ties particularly towards a customs union, especially given the more attractive prospect of EU integration.

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Regional Integration in Western Balkans: A Case for Cross-Border Business Cooperation?

Sklias

Tsampra²

2013

Contributions to Economics

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Assessing regional integration and business potential in the Western Balkans

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

A comparative analysis on the nexus between corruption and firm performance for a selection of Western Balkan countries

A comparative analysis on the nexus between corruption and firm performance for a selection of Western Balkan countries

Does it make sense to deepen the economic cooperation of the western balkan economies?

Regional Integration in Western Balkans: A Case for Cross-Border Business Cooperation?

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