Global, Regional and Local Perspectives on the Economies of Southeastern Europe : Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Economies of the Balkan and Eastern European Countries (EBEEC) in Florence, Italy, 2022

This book includes papers presented at the 14th International Conference “Economies of the Balkan and Eastern European Countries” (EBEEC), held in Florence, Italy, in May 2022. It sheds new light on the micro- and macroeconomic developments in the Eastern European and Balkan countries, taking into account also the broader regional and global factors influencing these developments. In particular, it includes the latest theoretical and empirical research and policy insights from Central and Southeastern Europe and presents new ideas on how to resolve economic problems, also generated by the pandemic, in the Balkan and Eastern European economies in a pan-European context. By examining how the decisions and the performance of economic, social, and political actors in the area are intertwined with wider events, also at a global level, the papers highlight the dynamic development in Eastern Europe and the Balkans region. Further, the book demonstrates how the area is evolving within the framework of European economic integration and the global effervescent economy. Preface 6 Contents 11 About the Editors 13 Macroeconomic Trends and Monetary Policy Issues 14 Recent Evidence on Anti-Dumping Duties as a Tool of Protectionism 15 1 Introduction 16 2 Literature Rewiew 18 3 Analytical Framework and Methodology 20 4 Comperatrive Analysis 20 5 Conclusion 41 References 42 Bibliometric Analysis of Debt Financing Semiotics 44 1 Introduction 45 2 Literature Review 46 3 Methods 47 4 Results 48 5 Discussion 54 6 Conclusion 56 References 57 Measuring the Trade Performance of States 60 1 Introduction 61 2 The Comparative Advantage Approach 61 3 World Bank International Trade Indicators 64 4 Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) 69 5 Logistics Performance Index—LPI 73 6 Conclusions 82 References 83 Business Improvement Districts: A Comparative Analysis of the Legal Framework and Economic/Social Impact Among Different Countries 85 1 Introduction 86 2 Comparative Analysis of Bid Models in Europe 87 2.1 BID Models in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Sweden 93 3 Comparative Analysis of Countries with Forms of Organizations Similar to the Bid Models in Europe 93 4 BID Model in Albania 95 5 Summary of the Main Findings of Some Studies on the Impact of BIDS 96 6 Conclusions 98 References 99 Tax Effort in Eurozone Countries After the Outbreak of the Global Economic Crisis 101 1 Introduction 102 2 Literature Review 102 3 Evolution of Actual Tax-to-GDP Revenues, 2008–2018 105 4 Methodology and Data 107 5 Empirical Results 110 5.1 Estimation of Tax Capacity 110 5.2 Estimation of Tax Effort Indexes 112 6 Conclusion 125 7 Annex 126 References 126 The Perceived Micro and Macroeconomic Impacts of a Health Management Crisis in Greece: An Empirical Survey 128 1 Introduction 129 2 Literature Review 129 3 Research Methodology 131 3.1 Data Collection 131 3.2 Methodology 132 4 Analysis and Results 134 5 Conclusions 140 References 141 Social Economy Entities and Social Enterprises in the Greece-Bulgaria Cross-Border Area 144 1 Introduction and Brief Literature Review 145 2 Public Policies, Legal Framework and Needs for Support Measures for the Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship in Greece and Bulgaria 146 3 Research Methodology 150 4 Research Findings 151 5 Discussion and Conclusions 163 References 165 The Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on Economic Development of Western Balkan Countries 168 1 Introduction 168 2 Brief Review of the Literature 169 3 Methodology and Data 172 3.1 Specification of Econometric Models 173 4 Empirical Analysis and Findings 175 4.1 Limitations of the Study 178 5 Conclusions 179 References 180 The Importance of Monitoring Contagious Diseases in Cross-Border Areas 181 1 Introduction 182 2 Literature Review 183 3 Methodology 186 4 Outputs 187 5 Conclusions 206 References 207 Meta Covid Era: Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Economy and Ecosystems and Opportunities for Circular Economy Strategies 210 1 Background to the Study 211 1.1 Objectives of the Study 212 1.2 Significance 212 2 Methods 212 3 Results 213 3.1 Effective Policy Frameworks to Address COVID-19 213 3.2 COVID-19 on the Global Macro Economy 213 3.3 Covid-19 on the Micro-Economy 214 3.4 Negative Macroeconomic Impact of COVID-19 215 3.5 Positive Impact of COVID-19 216 3.6 The Role of Circular Economy 217 3.7 Barriers to CE in the Context of COVID-19 219 3.8 Opportunities Associated with Circular Economy in Post COVID-19 Era 221 3.9 Ensuring Proper CE Transitioning 222 4 Discussion 223 5 Conclusion 224 6 Recommendations 224 6.1 Areas for Future Research 225 References 225 COVID-19 Pandemic Effects and Development Trends of Eastern Europe and the Balkans Region Markets 228 A Bibliometric Analysis on Energy Transition with Emphasis on Decarbonization of Lignite Towards a Post-Lignite Era 229 1 Introduction 230 2 Methodology 231 2.1 Research Methodology and Material Collection 231 3 Results 233 3.1 Literature Portrayal 233 3.2 Network Visualization of Keywords, Thematic Hotspots, and Countries 235 4 Discussion and Conclusions 238 References 239 Employability in the Post-COVID Labor Market in Greece 242 1 Introduction 243 2 Research Context and Questions 244 3 Research Methodology 248 4 Empirical Analysis and Results 250 4.1 COVID-19 Implications on Employment 250 4.2 Employment Change and the Workplace 252 4.3 Employment Change and the Sector of Occupation 253 4.4 Employment Change and Employment Contract 254 5 Conclusions and Discussion 254 References 256 On the Dynamics of a Heterogeneous Duopoly Game in R&D Efforts 258 1 Introduction 258 2 The Model 259 3 Equilibrium Points and Local Stability 262 4 Numerical Simulations 264 5 Conclusion 266 References 267 Gamification in Greek Social Enterprises 269 1 Introduction 270 2 Theoretical Framework 271 2.1 Cooperative Culture 272 2.2 Open Communication 273 2.3 Trust 273 2.4 Involvement 274 2.5 Willingness to Be Active 274 2.6 Active Membership 275 2.7 Gamification of Learning 276 2.8 Practical Implications of Gamification of Learning 277 2.9 Gamification in Cooperative Learning 279 3 Methodology 280 4 Results and Discussion 282 5 Conclusions 283 References 284 The Effect of the Hotel Attributes on Guest Satisfaction Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis: The Case of the Greek Tourism and Hospitality Sector 287 1 Introduction 288 2 Literature Review 289 3 Methodology and Data Collection 291 4 Results and Discussion 292 5 Conclusion 296 References 299 Why Did Greeks Prefer not to Do Tourism in the Covid-19 Era? 302 1 Introduction 303 2 Literature Review 304 3 Methodology 305 4 Results 306 4.1 Factors Affecting Attitudes of Tourists that Will not Go for Holidays Due to COVID-19 Crisis 306 4.2 Profiling Each Group of Tourists According to Their Demographics 309 5 Discussion and Conclusions 312 References 314 Understanding the Travel Risk Profile and Travel Intentions of Generation Z Amidst Covid-19 317 1 Introduction 317 2 Literature Review 319 2.1 Travel and Risk 319 2.2 Travel and Covid-19 320 2.3 Generation Z, Risk Behaviour and Travel 322 3 Data Collection 323 4 Findings 323 4.1 Participant Profile 323 4.2 International Travel Intention 324 4.3 Reliability of Test Results and Travel Risk Profile 324 4.4 Independent Samples t-Test and ANOVA 328 5 Discussion 329 6 Conclusions and Recommendations 331 References 332 Forecasting Consumer Service Prices During the Coronavirus Pandemic Using Neural Networks: The Case of Transportation, Accommodation and Food Service Sections Across E.U 335 1 Introduction 336 2 Related Literature and Challenges 337 3 Research Methodology 339 3.1 Sample 339 3.2 The Neural Network Model 340 4 Research Model 342 5 Results 344 5.1 Model Performance 344 5.2 Qualitative Evaluation of Results 345 6 Conclusion 356 References 356