Growth and development policies

Category: Growth and development policies

Socioeconomic Assessment of Coal Communities in North Macedonia and Kosovo

The goal of the project is: 1) to assess the socioeconomic consequences (risks and opportunities) of transitioning out of coal for the communities directly and indirectly affected by the closure of mines and coal-fired power plants, and 2) to inform the design of local transition plans – that is, plans that addresses the distributional consequences of the mine/power plant phase-out while seizing the development opportunities for the affected communities.

Donor: The World Bank

State aid and foreign direct investment in the Western Balkan countries: Fostering transparency and generating space for regional coordination of investment policies

The overall objective of the project is to improve transparency of and to generate evidence on the FDI-related state aid in the context of the regional integration of Western Balkan countries.

The overall objective is broken down to the following specific objectives:

To identify (map) state aid programs and key measures and relate it to measurable indicators of effectiveness,
To produce evidence on the state aid granted to foreign companies in view of its effectiveness and of support to the regional integration,
To increase public awareness at regional, national and local level by influencing public discourse on the importance of state aid transparency and alignment with the EU requirements, and as a promotor of regional integration

Donor: Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans

Diagnostics of the informal economy in North Macedonia

The objective of the action is to diagnose the informal economy, re-estimate its size and the size/importance of its various facets, by relying on tax administration data. By so doing, the action will create a roadmap of actions and direction of resources that will produce the maximal result.

Donor: International Labor Organization

Duration: September – December 2023

The perfect storm: Food and energy insecurities threaten the economies of the Western Balkan

The main goal of the project is to generate evidence and foster a policy dialogue for the food and energy insecurities in the Western Balkan economies pertinent to four key fronts: household livelihoods, firms’ competitiveness, fiscal space and the regional integration.

Action on the move: Monitoring, assessment and proposals for anti-crisis measures in conditions of a tight budget

The general goal of the action is to analyze and monitor budget spending for anti-crisis measures, at the national and local level, and to propose modification and/or new measures in conditions of an emphasized need for rationalization of public money spending.

Knowledge, measures and policy dialogue for child protection from the food and energy crisis

The primary objective of the project is to generate evidence about the impact of the food and energy crisis on overall and child poverty, as well as food and energy poverty, which will be used as a background for designing a roadmap for policy measures at national level.

Donor: UNICEF

Duration: December 2023 – March 2024

Scoping study to investigate the demand for green and social financing in North Macedonia

The objective of this study is to conduct the diagnosis – market analyses of high potential sectors in North Macedonia from a green and social stand point and to assess the market potential for new development credit lines.

Client: Agence Française de Développement

Partner: GFA Consulting Group

Action for formalization of micro-performers of economic activity in the informal economy

The purpose of this action is to increase the formalization of micro-companies in North Macedonia, ie performers of economic activity in the informal economy. Hence, the action addresses legal informality. More specific objectives of the action include:

Understand the reasons for the informality of micro-operators in the informal economy (high fees, high administrative burden, low probability of being discovered, poor awareness of the benefits of formalization, etc.)
To understand the activity of informal micro-performers
To design a map / list of all fees, including parafiscal charges, related to starting a micro-business and running it in the early years
To propose: a) a plan for reduction of the costs for firming of micro-performers of activity, including rationalization of the duties identified in 3; and b) policy measures (fiscal, labor, information) that will encourage greater formalization of micro-operators.

Client: GIZ North Macedonia

V4 support to promote WB6 Common Regional Market: one market for post-COVID recovery

The project focuses on sharing experiences, transferring knowledge and recommending further regional economic integration through development of the WB6 Common Regional Market using experiences from ex-CEFTA and V4 after integration into the EU single market.

Analysis of SDG Financing Landscape

The objective of the SDG Financial Landscape Analysis is to map all financing flows, with the aim to identify potential approaches and activities that can contribute to efficient use of existing resources for SDG achievement and greater alignment and investment by development partners on sustainable development priorities.

Donor: UNDP