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Disasters can be good for incumbent governments. Amidst an emergency, budgets can be revised and reallocated in a hurry, framing the government as a ‘saviour,’ issuing contracts to the government’s business clientele and/or prioritising... more
Disasters can be good for incumbent governments. Amidst an emergency, budgets can be revised and reallocated in a hurry, framing the government as a ‘saviour,’ issuing contracts to the government’s business clientele and/or prioritising the electoral base more than the victims. Thus elected officials can curry favour with voters and increase their chances of retaining their seats. We examine this claim in the context of Albania, a middle-income country with weak public institutions. We show that the relief for two calamities, a destructive earthquake in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic, was used by the government to mobilise votes, thereby increasing the likelihood of electoral success in 2021. Both earthquake relief funding and Covid-19 vaccination rates spiked right before the elections only to drop soon afterwards. This phenomenon, known as the Electoral Politics of Disaster (EPD), poses a risk for the national economy, public health, spatial planning and democracy.
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The dairy market is one of the fastest growing agri-food sectors in Kosovo. Yet the farm structure is fragmented. The level of productivity is lower compared to EU levels and shows existing potential for improvements. The consumption of... more
The dairy market is one of the fastest growing agri-food sectors in Kosovo. Yet the farm structure is fragmented. The level of productivity is lower compared to EU levels and shows existing potential for improvements. The consumption of dairy products is expected to rise due to income growth and segmentation of consumers that would reflect different preferences to low fat, zero-fat products, products with natural additives and etc. On the market level a significant share of the consumed milk and dairy products is imported. This study aims to better understand attitudes and preferences of Kosovar consumers segments towards milk and dairy products. A quantitative survey with 300 consumers took place in major Kosovo cities. Applying a reduced version of the Food Related Lifestyle instrument identified three distinct consumer segments. The conservative consumer segment, the socially oriented foodie and the information-seeking eco-consumer. The latter two segments are especially open to try out new food products and search actively information about food. All three consumer segments show strong consumer patriotism by believing that domestic milk and cheese is safer than imported one and is of higher quality. This indicates the strong market potential for dairy farmers and companies in the Kosovo, who should develop new food products having these segments in mind. The paper explores the strategies farmers and companies should employ to better target these consumer groups and gain bigger access to desirable segments
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This paper provides insight into the widely studied phenomenon of political business cycles by analyzing the impact of elections on the privatization of public assets in transition economies. The hypothesis of this article is that... more
This paper provides insight into the widely studied phenomenon of political business cycles by analyzing the impact of elections on the privatization of public assets in transition economies. The hypothesis of this article is that incumbents opportunistically schedule privatizations to take place close to the next elections in order to finance higher public expenditures, aiming to please voters and increase the chances of being re-elected, particularly when their ability to borrow is constrained by high public debt. We consider the case of Albania, which is a transition and small open economy with a relatively high public debt. We find significant increases of income from privatization before elections. Despite often being trumpeted in the context of structural reforms, the intentional privatization of public assets in times of election is most likely a sub-optimal choice for the public interest. Studying the impact of elections on the privatization of public assets could be of interest to other transition economies facing fiscal constraints.
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The role of the village headman and council of elders is very important in many societies. The focus of this article is to analyse the evolution and the role of the (informal) intermediary institutions and actors in the context of... more
The role of the village headman and council of elders is very important in many societies. The focus of this article is to analyse the evolution and the role of the (informal) intermediary institutions and actors in the context of changing society’s patterns and political landscape transformations. This article focuses on Albania and Kosovo, where village self-governing mechanisms played a crucial role in avoiding (often deadly) social conflicts during the post-communism transition. The article relies on in-depth interviews with involved actors at the local level, using the framework of evolutionary governance theory. The study shows that the role of the council of elders and village headman has been strong and important in times of weak central and local governance, while it weakened in times of strong politicization and increasingly patronizing role of the central government, thus not allowing for a right balance between legitimate community representation and accountability towar...
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In Albania, just before elections, traffic and parking fines decrease in number and magnitude, as the government turns a blind eye to infractions in order to curry favour with voters and thus retain power. Once the elections are over, a... more
In Albania, just before elections, traffic and parking fines decrease in number and magnitude, as the government turns a blind eye to infractions in order to curry favour with voters and thus retain power. Once the elections are over, a period of stricter enforcement of traffic and parking rules typically ensues, and revenues from fines surge. We term this - so far unnamed – phenomenon “Electoral Mobility Management”. To provide evidence of EMM, we examine the fluctuations in revenues from traffic and parking fines issued by the state and municipal police in conjunction with national elections held between 2012 and 2021. We employ existing data collected by various institutions in Albania, which we model based on a robust econometric tool called intervention analysis. We find intermittent political interference in traffic police operations, both at the state and municipal levels. EMM is detrimental to road safety, traffic police legitimacy, and parking efficiency.
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When coupled with strong external shocks such as COVID-19, the high levels of uncertainty that characterise fragile economies can have a strong impact on household consumption and saving behaviour. This paper analyses household... more
When coupled with strong external shocks such as COVID-19, the high levels of uncertainty that characterise fragile economies can have a strong impact on household consumption and saving behaviour. This paper analyses household consumption and saving behaviour in conjunction with COVID-19 in the context of a post-communist economy. Models and intervention analysis are used to identify the effect of catastrophic events such as the COVID-19 pandemic on two key macroeconomic measures for the Albanian economy. The findings show that the pandemic period caused a significant contraction of consumer spending and a significant increase in savings. Higher uncertainty appears to have been a key driver of such household behaviour. The effect on savings will endure in the long run, while retail trade is expected to recover. These findings call for a more astute use of fiscal and monetary policies to address the harmful emerging short-run effect of reduced household spending.
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Remittances from migrants are an important livelihood strategy to mitigate the impact of adverse economic conditions, particularly in developing countries and rural areas. This study examines how migration and remittances affect household... more
Remittances from migrants are an important livelihood strategy to mitigate the impact of adverse economic conditions, particularly in developing countries and rural areas. This study examines how migration and remittances affect household food security by analysing data collected from 180 farmers in northern Nigeria in 2018. The descriptive results show that households use remittances mainly for health care and education. Remittances are most commonly provided in the form of finances and food. Binary logit regression results show that food remittances have a significant positive impact on food security status. Financial remittances did not have a statistically significant impact on food security. As the number of migrants in a household increases, the probability that the household is food secure decreases. The propensity scores matching result also showed that migrant households receiving food remittances were more food secure. In light of these findings, we emphasized the need to ...
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The study analyzes the trading relationship performance between farmers and intermediaries and the factors shaping it, with a focus on intermediary’s power, based on a structured survey of vineyard farmers in Kosovo. Confirmatory factor... more
The study analyzes the trading relationship performance between farmers and intermediaries and the factors shaping it, with a focus on intermediary’s power, based on a structured survey of vineyard farmers in Kosovo. Confirmatory factor analysis is employed to develop measures for the study latent variables, and ordinary least squares regression is used to test the hypothesis. To further validate the results, machine learning (i.e. random forest) is used to model the factors affecting the relationship performance between farmer and intermediary. The results show that when the intermediary has considerable (excessive) power, it leads to low trading relationship performance with farmers. Also, when the intermediary has little power, the relationship performance with farmers behaves in a similar way. The main contribution of this paper is to further illuminate the debate on the role of power in business-to-business relationships, in that it points out an alternative explanation; statin...
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This volume of proceedings, available as both a hard copy and a pdf file, is an edited compilation of selected contributions to the Conference on Modern Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe (MACE) 2010, held in Berlin, Germany, at... more
This volume of proceedings, available as both a hard copy and a pdf file, is an edited compilation of selected contributions to the Conference on Modern Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe (MACE) 2010, held in Berlin, Germany, at the ICC on the 13th and 14th of January 2010. We would like to thank all those persons and organizations who contributed to the realisation of the MACE Conference 2010 as well as to this edited volume. First of all, we thank all presenters, whose commitment made the conference possible. The conference would not have been successful without the active engagement of such a large number of colleagues from IAMO, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Council for Tropical and Sub-Tropical Agricultural Research (ATSAF). Thanks to all of them. Furthermore, we appreciate the support provided by the European Union, particularly by the Marie Curie Programme and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, and by the ICC Berlin. For improvi...
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Albania has potential for developing the organic agriculture sector; however, it is a new industry and constraints abound including lack of consumer preferences information for organic food. Knowledge on consumer preferences and behaviour... more
Albania has potential for developing the organic agriculture sector; however, it is a new industry and constraints abound including lack of consumer preferences information for organic food. Knowledge on consumer preferences and behaviour toward organic (bio) products is crucial for market development benefiting potential entrepreneurs and government policies. They need to know the preference for preferred product attributes and willingness to pay. Tomato, which is the most important vegetable in terms of consumption and production in Albania, is the subject of this study. A conjoint choice experiment with the most important product attributes: production type (bio vs. conventional), production system (open field vs. greenhouse), origin and price were used to design the choice surveys. Four distinct classes have been identified as significant using latent class analysis. The classes are summarized as: bio-ready consumers, price sensitive consumers, variety seeking consumers and qual...
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An egalitarian society is one that incentivises individuals to use their resources in order to be improve their economic outcomes and achieve social integration. The objective of this paper is to analyse Inequality of Opportunity (IOp), a... more
An egalitarian society is one that incentivises individuals to use their resources in order to be improve their economic outcomes and achieve social integration. The objective of this paper is to analyse Inequality of Opportunity (IOp), a measure of deprivation which counts for differences in economic outcomes, as well as estimate its effects. The research findings show that IOp is positively associated with statements on beliefs about the unfair distribution of outcomes in the sense of a successful life and towards the most important factors of finding a job at present. On the other hand, higher levels institutional trust reverse the effect of IOp. There are additional positive impacts in terms of such beliefs for those whose access to primary goods is limited due to disfavourable initial conditions at birth (being born in a rural area and being a female),who perceive themselves as belonging to a lower social class and those who have had positive experiences from their interaction ...
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The Albanian agriculture sector is deeply affected by climate change. To cope with climate change, it is necessary to understand its consequences. The views of agriculture extension service experts are crucial in improving farmers’... more
The Albanian agriculture sector is deeply affected by climate change. To cope with climate change, it is necessary to understand its consequences. The views of agriculture extension service experts are crucial in improving farmers’ understanding and resilience, especially when farming practices are poorly adapted to the changing climate. This paper analyses the risks from climate change and the adaptive capacity of farmers based on an expert evaluation survey. The respondents identified prolongation of drought durations, rising temperatures, above-average occurrences of floods, pre-seasonal rainfall and frost as primary risks during recent years. Extension experts view a high (negative) impact from climate change through processes such as increased plant diseases occurrence, increased exposure to rodents, harmful insects and pests for plants and livestock, as well as forest and pasture degradation. The paper also provides experts’ opinions on the policy implications, such as conside...
This study investigates gender gaps in access to land ownership and land inheritance in Albanian rural areas by combining a large-scale survey and five in-depth focus groups discussions. We consider three sets of variables: Place-based... more
This study investigates gender gaps in access to land ownership and land inheritance in Albanian rural areas by combining a large-scale survey and five in-depth focus groups discussions. We consider three sets of variables: Place-based characteristics; Family characteristics; and Individual characteristics. We find that that rural societies lack awareness around legal property rights, undermine the confidence of women in myriad ways and continue to rely on customary laws. Current inequalities are placed in the context of Albania's entrenched patriarchal system. Culture and tradition are as important as, if not more important than, legal frameworks surrounding land ownership and inheritance. The findings bring intersectionality issues into high relief: where patriarchy is combined with poverty, gender inequality is exacerbated. Our findings call for a more holistic approach which combines efforts to improve legal literacy, raise awareness among all genders and alleviate poverty for boosting women inclusion in the economy.
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This volume of proceedings, available as both a hard copy and a pdf file, is an edited compilation of selected contributions to the Conference on Modern Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe (MACE) 2010, held in Berlin, Germany, at... more
This volume of proceedings, available as both a hard copy and a pdf file, is an edited compilation of selected contributions to the Conference on Modern Agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe (MACE) 2010, held in Berlin, Germany, at the ICC on the 13th and 14th of January 2010. We would like to thank all those persons and organizations who contributed to the realisation of the MACE Conference 2010 as well as to this edited volume. First of all, we thank all presenters, whose commitment made the conference possible. The conference would not have been successful without the active engagement of such a large number of colleagues from IAMO, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Council for Tropical and Sub-Tropical Agricultural Research (ATSAF). Thanks to all of them. Furthermore, we appreciate the support provided by the European Union, particularly by the Marie Curie Programme and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, and by the ICC Berlin. For improv...
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The current publication covers Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99, the FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, and provides an overview of the agricultural situation in the European Union (EU) candidate and... more
The current publication covers Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99, the FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, and provides an overview of the agricultural situation in the European Union (EU) candidate and potential candidate countries of the Western Balkans (WBs). The objective was to provide an analysis of the development and current situation in agriculture and agricultural policy in these countries as relates to the EU accession process. The individual country reports, as well as a cross-country overview and comparison, have been prepared as a part of "AgriPolicy" project, which was financially supported by the European Commission under the 7th framework program.
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Disasters can be good for incumbent governments. Amidst an emergency, budgets can be revised and reallocated in a hurry, framing the government as a ‘saviour,’ issuing contracts to the government’s business clientele and/or prioritising... more
Disasters can be good for incumbent governments. Amidst an emergency, budgets can be revised and reallocated in a hurry, framing the government as a ‘saviour,’ issuing contracts to the government’s business clientele and/or prioritising the electoral base more than the victims. Thus elected officials can curry favour with voters and increase their chances of retaining their seats. We examine this claim in the context of Albania, a middle-income country with weak public institutions. We show that the relief for two calamities, a destructive earthquake in 2019 and the Covid-19 pandemic, was used by the government to mobilise votes, thereby increasing the likelihood of electoral success in 2021. Both earthquake relief funding and Covid-19 vaccination rates spiked right before the elections only to drop soon afterwards. This phenomenon, known as the Electoral Politics of Disaster (EPD), poses a risk for the national economy, public health, spatial planning and democracy.
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This book provides information on agri-entrepreneurship from various authors' work in conflict areas (particularly Mindanao in the Philippines), transitional economies and poor countries. The book begins with a comparison of general... more
This book provides information on agri-entrepreneurship from various authors' work in conflict areas (particularly Mindanao in the Philippines), transitional economies and poor countries. The book begins with a comparison of general entrepreneurs with agri-entrepreneurs. The next chapters discuss at some length how entrepreneurial skills training programmes require adjustments and modifications based on local knowledge, culture, the natural environment, and human-induced events due to unpredictable circumstances. In most examples presented, the experiences have been with a youth audience. Farmer innovation behaviour and technology transfer are also addressed, among others. The book has 12 chapters and a subject index.
Research Interests: Business and Agriculture
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Land consolidation has been viewed by policy makers as panacea for tackling the inherited challenges of Albania´s egalitarian land reform. The paper argues that farmers´ efforts towards farm consolidation through land purchase and rent-in... more
Land consolidation has been viewed by policy makers as panacea for tackling the inherited challenges of Albania´s egalitarian land reform. The paper argues that farmers´ efforts towards farm consolidation through land purchase and rent-in are affected by overall structural factors. Farm structure, farm-orientation and other socio-economic factors play an important role in farmers´ decision to purchase and rent-in agricultural land. Rental market has been the most common mechanism for consolidation, although agriculture land rent is not suitable for all agriculture activities, such as those which require long term investments.
Research Interests: Business and Land reform
Incumbent governments commonly increase public expenditures prior to elections in order to curry favor with voters and boost their chances of retaining office. This study, set in Albania, focuses on a non-fiscal approach to winning votes:... more
Incumbent governments commonly increase public expenditures prior to elections in order to curry favor with voters and boost their chances of retaining office. This study, set in Albania, focuses on a non-fiscal approach to winning votes: condoning, or at least tolerating, informal construction activities in the residential sector prior to elections. We term this approach 'election-driven informality' (EDI). This study provides longitudinal statistical evidence for EDI using a proxy indicator for informal construction. We hypothesize and prove that EDI is a reality rather than a mere perception-primarily for the 2017 election. That was when the government's enforcement capacity in the construction sector was effective outside the election period. In a context where there is little moral value attached to law abidance, businesses or households that engage in informal economic activities might perceive a tolerant government as "magnanimous" and might be persuaded to support it in upcoming elections. From government's perspective, EDI presents an opportunity for a version of "pork barrel" politics where "tolerance" is applied selectively or differentially to households, businesses, or whole regions.
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It is widely accepted that incumbents in democratic societies may use various economic policies to increase their chances of re-election. But incumbents in the most advanced democracies may be restrained in overtly manipulating economic... more
It is widely accepted that incumbents in democratic societies may use various economic policies to increase their chances of re-election. But incumbents in the most advanced democracies may be restrained in overtly manipulating economic policy instruments before elections, because more experienced voters could penalize them for such opportunistic behavior. Incumbents may embrace indirect and more ‘camouflaged’ means such as opportunistically relaxing the stance of tax revenue performance before elections, either by laxer collection efforts, additional tax exemptions or preferential treatments, or a combination of these. In this article, we present evidence of election-related cycles in the tax revenue performance of 25 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development advanced democracies. We empirically analyze the collection effectiveness of Value Added Tax (VAT) around elections. The findings reveal significant deterioration of VAT revenue performance before elections.
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Distribution systems for food can change quickly in emergent markets, requiring new competences for consumers, and even in some European countries we have seen considerable changes in the distribution system for food in recent decades,... more
Distribution systems for food can change quickly in emergent markets, requiring new competences for consumers, and even in some European countries we have seen considerable changes in the distribution system for food in recent decades, raising the question whether consumers have acquired corresponding competences. We take two Balkan countries, Albania and Kosovo, as a case in point and measure consumers’ competence in dealing with package and price information in supermarkets and how this affects their information search behavior and the outcome of their shopping trips in terms of shopping pleasure, shopping trip satisfaction, and perceived risk. Results from data collected in the two countries’ main cities, Pristina and Tirana, show that higher levels of competence lead to more information search and better shopping outcomes, but that information search in certain cases can also increase perceived risk and diminish pleasure and satisfaction. In addition, considerable differences in...
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PurposeThis study develops a modified food-related lifestyle (FRL) instrument to analyse Kosovo consumers' fruit consumption behaviour and attitudes.Design/methodology/approachThe research study is based on a structured questionnaire... more
PurposeThis study develops a modified food-related lifestyle (FRL) instrument to analyse Kosovo consumers' fruit consumption behaviour and attitudes.Design/methodology/approachThe research study is based on a structured questionnaire designed using a reduced version of the FRL instrument, including evaluation factors related to fruit consumption, which is useful to describe a fruit-related lifestyle. Data were collected through a face-to-face survey with 300 consumers in three main cities in Kosovo. A principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation and Kaiser Normalisation was performed to interpret and investigate fruit-related lifestyles. Cluster analysis was performed to analyse market segments, using the identified factors obtained from the PCA, a hierarchical clustering algorithm with a Ward linkage method and the K-means clustering technique.FindingsConsumption behaviour is motivated by health concerns (perceived), fruit (nutrition) content and consumption habits....
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Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the effects of active political engagement in port-of-entry jobs and employment pathways for graduate students in a post-communist context which is characterized by... more
Purpose
This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the effects of active political engagement in port-of-entry jobs and employment pathways for graduate students in a post-communist context which is characterized by clientelism. The data are derived from a structured survey of a small local labour market where political clientelism is pronounced due to the strong network ties. Controlling for both demand and supply factors, the authors identify a profile for those who are more prone to engage politically in exchange for public sector jobs, which are in turn vulnerable to regime changes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data from a sample of 191 students that records month-to-month employment states for three consecutive years (2012–2014). The method attempts to replicate an experimental design with repeated measures before and after the June 2013 government elections. The data is analysed using sequence analysis with optimal matching and difference-in-difference methods.
Findings
The analysis provides evidence of links between political engagement and selection onto different employment pathways under conditions of political clientelism. The pathways themselves are also shown to be differentially impacted by the 2013 election (positively or negatively). Together, these results are supportive of claims that jobs in Albania, particularly those in the public sector, are linked to the short-term presence of vote-buying. This is shown to be the case even for this sample of educated members of the labour force (i.e. university graduates). The analysis also finds evidence of accumulative disadvantages over time, in relation to subjective perceptions of life satisfaction, migration intentions, employability and success in life, as a result of active political engagement.
Originality/value
The study uses a unique data set and a novel methodological approach, sequence analysis. Occupational history calendars were used to capture quantitative information recording detailed work histories. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this innovative method has not been used before to measure the temporal effects of political engagement on employment pathways.
This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the effects of active political engagement in port-of-entry jobs and employment pathways for graduate students in a post-communist context which is characterized by clientelism. The data are derived from a structured survey of a small local labour market where political clientelism is pronounced due to the strong network ties. Controlling for both demand and supply factors, the authors identify a profile for those who are more prone to engage politically in exchange for public sector jobs, which are in turn vulnerable to regime changes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data from a sample of 191 students that records month-to-month employment states for three consecutive years (2012–2014). The method attempts to replicate an experimental design with repeated measures before and after the June 2013 government elections. The data is analysed using sequence analysis with optimal matching and difference-in-difference methods.
Findings
The analysis provides evidence of links between political engagement and selection onto different employment pathways under conditions of political clientelism. The pathways themselves are also shown to be differentially impacted by the 2013 election (positively or negatively). Together, these results are supportive of claims that jobs in Albania, particularly those in the public sector, are linked to the short-term presence of vote-buying. This is shown to be the case even for this sample of educated members of the labour force (i.e. university graduates). The analysis also finds evidence of accumulative disadvantages over time, in relation to subjective perceptions of life satisfaction, migration intentions, employability and success in life, as a result of active political engagement.
Originality/value
The study uses a unique data set and a novel methodological approach, sequence analysis. Occupational history calendars were used to capture quantitative information recording detailed work histories. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this innovative method has not been used before to measure the temporal effects of political engagement on employment pathways.
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The paper investigates the determinants of farmers’ participation in contract farming (CF) in the context of a transition country, namely Albania. The focus is on intermediaries’ bargaining power effect on farmers’ engagement in CF.... more
The paper investigates the determinants of farmers’ participation in contract farming (CF) in the context of a transition country, namely Albania. The focus is on intermediaries’ bargaining power effect on farmers’ engagement in CF. Exploratory factor analysis is used to develop measures for the latent variables, while a logit regression model is employed to test the hypothesized relationship. The results show that intermediaries’ bargaining power moderates negatively the relationship between farmers’ specific investments and CF participation. Farmers’ with high specific investment are reluctant to contract with buyers who have power because contracting with such a buyer implies that they can extract higher values from farmers’ specific investments. Other strong predictors of contracting decision are farmers’ trust on the intermediary, intermediary’s advice to the farmer and intermediary’s specific investment.
Research Interests: Business and Intermediary
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The competitive grants schemes, a financing mechanism established for achieving social welfare as well as balanced and efficient territorial development, would have to be applied through a transparent and objective competition process.... more
The competitive grants schemes, a financing mechanism established for achieving social welfare as well as balanced and efficient territorial development, would have to be applied through a transparent and objective competition process. However, political influence of the ruling party and informal networks with central government decision-makers may influence access to competitive grants. This paper explores the extent to which the political affiliation and the personal informal connections/networks of the Municipalities and Communes leaders influence the allocation of competitive grants in Albania. The study is based on their perceptions and attitudes collected through the application of qualitative research instruments. We used a semi-structured survey that targeted local government leaders in Albania during the year 2013–14. Research shows that local government leaders are more likely to access grants from the central government if both belong to the same political party/coalition...
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This study investigates gender gaps in access to land ownership and land inheritance in Albanian rural areas by combining a large-scale survey and five in-depth focus groups discussions. We consider three sets of variables in our... more
This study investigates gender gaps in access to land ownership and land inheritance in Albanian rural areas by combining a large-scale survey and five in-depth focus groups discussions. We consider three sets of variables in our analysis: Environmental characteristics; Family characteristics; and Individual characteristics. We find that rural societies lack awareness around legal property rights, do not value gender equality, undermine the confidence of women in myriad ways, and continue to rely on customary laws. Current inequalities are placed in the context of Albania’s entrenched patriarchal system. Culture and tradition are as important as, if not more important than, legal frameworks surrounding land ownership and inheritance. The findings bring intersectionality issues into high relief: where patriarchy is combined with poverty, gender inequality is exacerbated. Education, legal literacy, and professional advisory services help achieve female empowerment, especially among yo...
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Abstract In developing and transition countries, cooperation among farmers still remains limited, despite the need to tackle the constraints related to small farm sizes. The cooperation literature highlights several factors that affect... more
Abstract In developing and transition countries, cooperation among farmers still remains limited, despite the need to tackle the constraints related to small farm sizes. The cooperation literature highlights several factors that affect farmers’ willingness to cooperate. On the other hand, there is limited research on the indirect role of local rules on cooperation. This paper aims to contribute to this gap by analyzing the factors that affect farmers’ willingness to cooperate by examining the mechanisms through which local rules affect cooperation. Cooperation remains a fairly broad spectrum, and there is limited understanding about the Albanian case as a post-socialist economy which is dominated by small and fragmented farms. The research is based on a structured survey with dairy farmers implemented during 2017 and structural equation modeling is employed to test study hypothesis. Results show that the role of local rules has an indirect effect on cooperation through social capital. Further, the presence of leadership skills, reputation, and reciprocity appear to be key determinants of farmers’ willingness to cooperate.
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This paper analyzes the determinant factors of tobacco consumption in Albania, which is one of the countries with the highest smoking prevalence in Europe. To empirically estimate the elasticity of cigarettes demand in Albania, the paper... more
This paper analyzes the determinant factors of tobacco consumption in Albania, which is one of the countries with the highest smoking prevalence in Europe. To empirically estimate the elasticity of cigarettes demand in Albania, the paper uses the Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS) applying Deaton’s (1988) demand model. This paper estimates an Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS), which allows disentangling quality choice from exogenous price variations using unit values from cigarette consumption. Following Deaton’s model, the results suggest that the demand for tobacco is inelastic, with a price elasticity of −0.57. The price elasticity appears to be within the range of elasticity estimates frequently reported for low- and middle-income countries. The results suggest that total expenditure, household size, male-to-female ratio, and adult ratio are important determinants of tobacco demand in Albania. The increase in the tobacco price, which has been mainly driven by increased ex...
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We analyze the effects of opportunistic and partisan politics on the licensing of construction activities, which in turn determines the level of housing supply. In line with Political Business Cycle theory, we hypothesize that the... more
We analyze the effects of opportunistic and partisan politics on the licensing of construction activities, which in turn determines the level of housing supply. In line with Political Business Cycle theory, we hypothesize that the municipal incumbent may manipulate the supply of construction permits before (general and local) elections in order to boost economic activity and voter satisfaction, or to accommodate special‐interest groups. Our findings, based on time‐series data from post‐socialist Tirana (Albania), are consistent with opportunistic and partisan incentives’ creating cycle effects in the licensing of construction permits. However, we find that the direction of opportunistic election cycles depends critically on the interaction between the municipal incumbent and the central‐level government. Our paper raises important questions about the effects of transition politics on spatial development in post‐socialist cities.