Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency, Comparing Business Regulations for Domestic Firms in 189 Economies, A World Bank Group Flagship Report, 29 October.   Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency, a World Bank Group flagship publication, is the 12th in a series of annual reports measuring the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property …Read More

IMF (2014) “World Economic Outlook, October 2014: Legacies-Clouds-Uncertainties“, World Economic and Financial Surveys, International Monetary Fund.   Abstract The pace of recovery has disappointed in recent years, and downside risks have increased, including from heightened geopolitical tensions. These increased risks make it a priority to raise actual and potential growth. In a number of economies, an increase in public infrastructure investment can also provide support to demand and help boost …Read More

European Commission, “Annual Report on European SMEs 2013/2014: A Partial and Fragile Recovery“, Final Report – July 2014, SME Performance Review 2013/2014.   The SME Performance Review is one of the main tools the European Commission uses to monitor and assess countries’ progress in implementing the Small Business Act (SBA) on a yearly basis. With an emphasis on the measures from the SBA Action Plan, the review brings comprehensive information …Read More

European Commission (2014) EU Employment and Social Situation – Quarterly Review, Social Europe, Publications Office of the European Union: September 2014, 06 October.   Monitoring of the labour market and the social situation The EU Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review gives an overview of recent developments in the European labour market and social situation, including short-term changes in GDP and employment growth, in employment and unemployment rates, and in …Read More

Kotzeva, M. (Ed.) (2014) Eurostat Regional Yearbook 2014, Eurostat Publications, October.   Statistical information is an important tool for understanding and quantifying the impact of political decisions in a specific territory or region. The Eurostat regional yearbook 2014 gives a detailed picture relating to a broad range of statistical topics across the regions of the Member States of the European Union (EU), as well as the regions of EFTA and …Read More

IMF (2014) “World Economic Outlook (WEO) Legacies, Clouds, Uncertainties“, International Monetary Fund Publications, October.   Chapter 3: Is It Time for an Infrastructure Push? Τhe Macroeconomic Effects of Public Investment This chapter finds that increased public infrastructure investment raises output in both the short and long term, particularly during periods of economic slack and when investment efficiency is high. This suggests that in countries with infrastructure needs, the time is …Read More

European Commission (2014) “The 2014 Stability and Convergence Programmes: An Overview“, European Economy, Occasional Papers. 199. July 2014: Brussels.   This paper provides an overview of Member States’ 2014 Stability and Convergence Programmes (SCPs), with a focus on fiscal consolidation plans over 2013-2017. It serves as background for the examination of the SCPs against the requirements of the Stability and Growth Pact – both the corrective and the preventive arm – …Read More