NEW Policy Study 57!

📘 New Policy Study
We analyze how public finances translate (or fail to translate) into better education and health outcomes across six Western Balkan countries, using panel data for the period 2006–2020 and CMP methodology.

🔍 Key findings:
• 🧾 It’s not just how much we spend — it’s how we spend it: stronger budget execution is the key channel through which PFM affects outcomes
• 🎓 In education, PFM does not operate directly, but through improved technical efficiency → higher preschool enrolment and better student–teacher ratios
• 🏥 In health, better budget execution is associated with more doctors, higher DPT immunization coverage, and longer life expectancy
• 📉 Weak transparency and insufficient medium-term planning constrain the effectiveness of public spending
• ⚙️ PFM is the “silent driver” of social outcomes — without it, even higher spending fails to deliver results

📌 Policy message:
Improving health and education outcomes does not start in the classroom or the hospital, but in the budget process: medium-term planning, transparency, and disciplined execution.

🔗 shorturl.at/Wxdkc
#PublicFinanceManagement #Education #Health #WesternBalkans #EvidenceBasedPolicy #PFM

Regional capacity-building for transparency and EU Alignment in state aid practices in the Western Balkans

Overall Objective: To strengthen regional cooperation, transparency, and EU alignment of state aid practices in the Western Balkans through targeted capacity-building, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-informed dialogue.

Specific Objectives:

  1. Enhance institutional knowledge and regional cooperation by delivering a series of workshops and webinars that bring together state aid authorities, competition commissions, and expert institutions from all six Western Balkan economies.
  2. Build a shared understanding and consensus on key state aid reform prioritiesthrough joint discussions, selection of critical thematic areas, and collaborative development of methodology for short regional position briefs and a roadmap for improved transparency and EU acquis alignment.
  3. Increase public and institutional awareness of transparent state aid governancethrough visibility activities, tailored communication materials, and promotion of regional cooperation outcomes across media and stakeholder networks.
  4. Strengthen the role of the WEBECON Network in regional monitoring and dialogue on state aidby actively involving WEBECON members in data validation, facilitation of stakeholder engagement, and joint reflection on state aid practices, thereby enhancing

Donor: Western Balkans Fund

Feasibility Study of Blended Financing Models

The project is developing practical and sustainable blended financing options for ensuring the long-term operation of SRHR content integrated within the EduIno platform. The objective of the assignment is to design two to three concrete financing models and validate them through consultations with relevant public, private, and development stakeholders. The focus will be on leveraging multiple funding sources to cover ongoing maintenance, updates of SRHR digital materials, and future platform improvements, while ensuring strong institutional ownership and alignment with national policy frameworks.

Client: UN Population Fund.

Mapping of the labour market needs of North Macedonia’s leading companies

The core objective is to determine current and emerging skills needs, identify the most acute labour shortages, assess mismatches between employer demand and education/training supply, and explore opportunities to attract or collaborate with diaspora talent.

Client: The Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)